


Obelisk: Kingdom of Monsters III

by Vesperchan



Series: Obelisk [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Action, Adventure, BAMF Sakura, Curses, Depression, F/M, Fantasy, Fighting, Have a little murder on the Orient Express, Heartbreak, Magic, Minor Character Death, Multi, Obelisk, Plot, but not really, cause none of this is real
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:22:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 151,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25522801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vesperchan/pseuds/Vesperchan
Summary: More than halfway through the curse, Sakura's nightmares hold nothing back as fangs and spells seek to drag her down and bury her with the dead. Monsters have come at least to feast on what is left of her bones and devour her wounded heart. Beyond the scars and bloodshed, her soul is beginning to fade under the dim lights of another enchanted speakeasy and ruby eyes.-Reposted from FF.net by the original author.Beta edited by Nightmarenip
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Sasori, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Madara, Multi/Sakura Haruno
Series: Obelisk [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800589
Comments: 11
Kudos: 30





	1. The Tea Lion Express

A great while ago, when the world was full of wonders...

**OBELISK:**

**Kingdom of Monsters**

###  The Tea Lion Express

* * *

"No trauma has discrete edges. Trauma bleeds. Out of wounds and across boundaries."

— Leslie Jamison, The Empathy Exams: Essays

* * *

There was no snow when they found her, but the early morning air was cold enough to freeze the blood in her veins and root her to the end of the driveway where the blackberry bushes with their thorns and brambles caught her naked toes till they bled.

Someone, she couldn't remember who, was crying about how blue her fingers looked and how stiff her toes were, like they might never move again. Maybe it was Ami. Ami was the one who lived with her, and she had been the first to notice her absence. Karin had been sleeping over as well, but Karin slept so much deeper than Ami and didn't wake up till the younger girl started screaming from outside.

Together, the pair helped Sakura back indoors and lowered her into a steaming bath that bit at her skin, bringing it back to life. Ami was still crying while Karin called the front desk at Urgent Care.

"Do I need to bring her in? Huh…yeah… she's still unresponsive."

What had she been doing outside in her pajamas? Why hadn't she bothered to wear shoes? Her driveway was all sharp edges and loose rock gravel. Even without the thorns, her toes bled. Was that what kept them from freezing? All the hot life blood was seeping out of her, trying to get away from her.

"Sakura?" Ami was calling for her. 

Numbly, Sakura turned her head, feeling the tickle of her hair ends swish over her shoulders. When had her hair ever been this short? She took good care of her hair and was growing it out. Last she remembered, it was more than halfway down her back with a slight wave. What was left was lighter and choppy and… so much shorter. How had that happened?

"Sakura?" This time it was Karin. Sakura looked up and saw two faces.

"What was I doing?" she asked numbly.

Transient global amnesia.

Sakura was diagnosed in a small clinic with no characteristics to be recognized by, while she sat between Karin and her mother. Ami was pacing back and forth outside on her phone, talking to a family friend who was a doctor about what the hell was going on and how the hell she could make it so Sakura never walked out on her own again and forgot where she was.

Inside their tiny room, the female doctor explained to Sakura how rare transient global amnesia was, and that it was unlikely to happen again… until she looked at Sakura's family medical history. Then the female doctor made a face and Sakura recognized it right away. Deep pity with a side of 'I don't want to have to tell you this' thrown in for good measure.

"I see your mother has schizophrenia and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder earlier on. She's currently at Aurora, I see. I know some of the doctors there, it's well recommended. Do you know of anyone else in your family who has an undiagnosed history of…?" Sakura shook her head, even though she knew she was lying. There were tons of crazy people in her extended family, but most all of them hid it too well. The ones that didn't, the ones like her mother's oldest brother, didn't live long enough to find out what was left for them in a world afraid of the most fearful.

The doctor made another face, and Sakura didn't want to watch it because she recognized this one too. Karin's mother reached over and squeezed Sakura's hand. 

"For now," the older woman began, turning back to the doctor. "I think we would like to know what we could do about this condition."

"No, as I was saying, transient global amnesia is rare and not classified as a  _ condition _ , but is an indicator of stress. As you already know, it is a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss. During an episode a person's recall of recent events simply vanishes, so you can't remember where you are or how you got there."

"Yeah," Karin said, nodding along. "That sounds about right."

Sakura didn't look up, but she could feel the way Karin shook with the memory. Ami wasn't taking it well, and that much was evident, but Sakura hadn't thought about Karin. How was Karin holding up?

"…you may not remember anything about what's happening in the here and now, as your memory services are still unavailable to cement you in a time or place. Were you asking a lot of the same questions, over and over, even after they were answered?" The doctor droned on in the background. 

"Her hair," Karin cut in, answering for Sakura, "She kept asking what happened to her hair, and why it was gone and like, she kept asking what she was doing and where she was." Karin looked sideways at Sakura. "You kept apologizing a lot, too."

"Sounds about right," Karin's mother hummed, rubbing a circle into Sakura's shoulders. It felt warm and made Sakura want to sleep again.

"That's very typical. Now, I'd like a minute alone with Sakura to discuss the onset of these events in private, unless you would like them here." The doctor waited till she had Sakura's eye. "If you do not want to discuss that with me you have patient refusal rights, but because this was triggered by stress, and because you have a family history of mental illness, I would strongly suggest you seek out a professional therapist."

Sakura found the ends of her shirt and her fingers curled around the fabric. It was coming back to her, one memory right after the other, like the box cars on a train. Each painful memory was followed by another and then another and then another. She remembered Sai, her sweet friend and companion for so long. She remembered _killing_ him. She remembered Kimimaro's screams. She remembered killing Naruto- no, that wasn't Naruto, that was Menma.

She wasn't sick, not in the way this doctor thought she was. She wasn't having mental breakdowns because of some messed up family history, but because of what happened to her in the dream world. She wouldn't ever tell anyone that though, since it would only make them more convinced of a condition she didn't have. She wasn't psychotic. They weren't vivid hallucinations. It was just a curse.

By the time Sakura and the doctor were done, they got back out to the car where Ami was waiting, her cheeks tinted with pink from the cold. Even though it was spring already, overcast days still managed to get cold. She didn't say much, but squeezed into the back seat bench with Sakura and Karin instead of riding up front with Karin's mother.

"There's somewhere I want you to drop us off, you know the salon we passed on the way here? I made a reservation and the girl's waiting for us." Ami turned back to look at Sakura and the frustration still lingered in her eyes. "I can't do much, but this at least is something. Don't tell me you owe me or anything either, it's a gift, just accept it."

Sakura remembered seeing herself in the rearview mirror and hated how choppy her hair looked. Something she had taken such good care of, now gone. She doubted it could be salvaged, but decided to humor her friend. If for no other reason, to appreciate Ami's efforts. The thought of her friends caring for her so much made her warm.

She forced the smile in her heart to her lips and nodded. 

"Okay."

And just like before, between one Kingdom and one Gate, Sakura had a month of rest before her menstrual cycle came and went, triggering the start of the next world of nightmares. 

Even though they were oftentimes beautiful, they all proved deadly to her spirit in the end.

* * *

The night before she entered the dream world, she woke up in what Sai once called the Bridge. It was the world in dreams between gate and kingdom. Last time she had traveled between the Kingdom of Man and the Monarch Woods, it had been a black beach with waves like flames for Sai to meet her on. Knowing she would be alone and without Sai, Sakura lacked the motivation to open her eyes when she felt herself fully emerge into the new world.

It was a dark world. Where the skies hung an ocean, rolling and foaming in the places where clouds should have hung. Phosphorescent fish blinked in and out of the waves like stars high above her head.

Sakura stood and looked around her. Mist was heavy around her knees, but not high enough to obscure her immediate vision. There were trees, a forest thick with them, and pale white stones that rose like megaliths out of the earth. The few she saw were smooth to the touch, weathered with age.

A twig snapped and Sakura turned. There was a deer in between the trees; it was a doe. She stared at Sakura with bright eyes wide with questions. Then a second deer joined her, and a third, soon a fourth and a fifth peeked out from between the trees. Sakura took a step back, nearly tripping on the long velvet train of her medieval frock, richly embellished with golden ivy on green. Looking down, she felt like something out of a King Arthur's legend. Even her hair, as short as it was, had been pulled back and tucked into a pearl studded net that rested lightly against the back of her neck. Down the back of her shoulders she felt the heavy fabric of a hood and tugged on that, hoping to hide from some of the eyes.

"Who's there?" Sakura called out, hoping to reach out and communicate with someone.

The deer staring at her unnerved her. There were more showing up from between the trees, surrounding her on all sides. The more that emerged, the more Sakura felt the need to stumble backwards into the deeper mists. The ground went uneven and she tripped enough to fall back on her butt. A pair of white columns rose up on either side of her , and with shock Sakura realized she had stumbled backwards into the outer ring of a stonehenge. Only these white stones were carved with runes and markings that seemed pulsing and alive.

"They're not made of stolen magic, like the Obelisk."

Sakura nearly screamed, rounding to come face to face with a figure in the mist. He stood between two deer, both impressively large with extended racks that twisted skyward like a royal crown, and as stunning as the two wild creatures were, the man between them was even more enchanting.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked, taking a half step back. Her words sounded weary even in her own ears. "Are you the next…guide?"

"We are the Nara, we travel in these woods. You will not encounter us again, for we are neither Actor nor Subject of the curse." The boy raised his hand and the sigil glowed brighter. "Our own powers keep us here, free from the devouring, but lack the might to overcome the darkness. We are trapped, but not consumed."

Sakura observed the boy again. Hardly dressed, it was his face, sleek and deer-like that captivated her the most. Poking out from his flesh at the edge of his crown of hair were petite, velvet antlers that were already starting to twist outwards. In years as he became a man, they would become greater things. He reminded her of Cernunnos, the Horned God of the Celtic people.

"Why am I here?" Sakura asked, glancing down at the simple things he wore: a belt of what looked like leather with softer chaps and nothing else. His toes were dirt stained and bare in the grass and mist, but at least he had toes. "And why are you here with me?"

"The world between worlds is the only place we may dwell, and rarely do we encounter the dreamer. Others are trapped in like manner, but you will never see them. We wanted to meet you so our Great Heart King might bless you. It is in the dreamer that all our hopes, tested for another thousand years, must live and die."

"You wanna bless me?" Sakura asked, sounding confused.

It didn't seem like they were enemies, but it was still an odd encounter. If Sai was still around, would Sakura have ever met the Nara? Were the Nara truly what they claimed to be? Sakura looked the boy over once again, her eyes catching on the details like the freckles on his collarbone or the dirt that stuck under his nails. He seemed like something pulled from the mud and formed in the shade and dried in the sun.

Behind her, the stones hummed and Sakura jumped, stepping further backwards into the circle. It tasted like magic when she opened her mouth to gasp. She locked eyes with the forest boy. 

"Why would you want to bless me?"

The Nara boy followed her into the circle, but the deer at his sides remained where they stood. He touched her at the shoulder, trancing his fingers down to her elbows to tug on and hold out. He took her hands and held them in his. He was watching her. 

"The knower of the hidden ways told us thus, that you were worth our blessing, that you would end our damnation." Sakura wanted to shake him off, but couldn't find the strength to move. 

"I don't…it's not a game anymore. This world is killing me in the real world. I'm sick and I can't live like this. You're wrong, I don't know if I'll make it. I can't be who you put your bets on." Her voice caught and she felt the tears on her face. She was choking on her own voice. The boy tugged on her hands and brought her closer. He dragged her so close she could swear she could count his eyelashes if she wanted to. 

"You will hold our hope. Modest of girls, most humble of dreamers, you will carry us into the stars, each one of us."

Sakura felt like holding her head, falling into a ball, and crying again. She felt like running away. She felt like turning the shower on and never stepping out. She felt like wrapping herself up and falling away. 

"No," She whispered, feeling afraid.

The Nara boy tugged on her hands, pulling her into him. The smooth part of his forehead touched hers and his breath ghosted across her face. Bending down, he kissed her full on the mouth and suddenly Sakura was swallowing searing letters and a hundred druidic chants knotted in her throat. Like birds, they flew through her body, and like dragons they seared through her insides.

Sakura fell to her knees and knotted her fingers into the grass, pulling as the silent scream tore up her insides. She could feel it, out of the peak of her hairline, twin points of velvet emerged, twisting and turning and growing into a magnificent crown heavy enough to carry all her magic.

Where the Nara boy once stood, now paced an albino father deer with antlers higher than any others. He was tall and strong and inside of her now. His voice echoed like a living thing inside her head.

'All that is in us now lives in you. Underneath your heel, woman of the earth,  _ crush _ the Snake."

* * *

"So… you're watching a person play the game on a youtube video streamed through your television?"

"Yup."

"It's not a movie?"

"Nope."

"And you're not playing the game?"

"Nope."

Ami stared down at Sakura and Karin with mild slack jawed awe. The two girls were sitting on the couch with a bowl of extra butter popcorn between them, slouched and listless after a long day at work. Neither Sakura nor Karin looked like they were prepared to give any fucks what-so-ever. Whether it was the wrinkled pajamas or unwashed faces devoid of makeup, it was hard to miss how 'done' the two girls actually were. No one was going out tonight.

Shrugging, Ami set her shopping bags down and sat down next to Sakura, tugging a blanket over her exposed knees. 

"So what are you watching him play?" Karin popped in an extra large kernel of popped popcorn before replying.

"Five Nights at Fredy's. Turn out the lights."

When she woke up inside the dream, she was sitting down in front of a table and in her hand was a cup, the matching saucer left behind on the table. Lifting the tea cup up Sakura inhaled the warm lemon balm scent. She filled her lungs with lemon scents before taking a sip, glancing up over the rim of the teacup to observe her new surroundings. She was inside the dining car on an older train car. High end, she was in the car likely reserved for the best payers.

Sakura set the tea cup down and licked her lips clean. The car was spacious enough with tables and cars sparsely spaced on the ends leaving room for a wide isle. As far as she could tell, Sakura was the only one in the car. Large as it was, it was completely devoid of passengers not including herself.

She held her breath, daring and cowering at the same time, before calling out. 

"Sai?" She sounded weaker than she thought she would, but the answering silence as just as she imagined it. She felt humbled and small.

"I'm truly alone this time, then."

Absently, she took a sip from her tea and then set it down. The lemon tasted so real on her tongue, it was hard to believe it was a dream. Everything inside the curse always felt too real.

"Enough of that. I need to get out of here. This is the gate, where is the Obelisk?"

Sakura stood up and looked down at the dress she was wearing. It was glittering with gold, glass beads all the way to her ankles. It looked like something someone of money would wear in the early 1900's, and while it was easy enough to move around in, Sakura doubted it was what she wanted to be wearing if and when she got into a fight with something sinister.

Ignoring her dress, Sakura walked over to the opposite side of the car and pulled back the heavy green curtains to see outside. There were humble hills dotted with lush foliage and petite copses of trees scattered like fragments of an old world superimposed upon a newer land. Sakura let the curtain drop and crossed back over to the side she had woken up on. Reaching over the table with her tea, she pulled back the curtain and looked outside. Instead of the same scene, there was a nightcap with a low sky thick with stars and too close galaxies. Underneath those skies were mirror-smooth lakes and marsh lands in between the waters.

"Yes, that's my dream alright." Sakura dropped the curtain and stepped back underneath the lamplight that ran like a vein down the spiked spine of the train car roof.

The car was large, but it wasn't so large that she couldn't see the end of it. There were two ends, one leading to the caboose and the other leading to another car on the train. She felt a tilt underneath her heels and ran to the sunny side windows to look out. The train was curving around a hill so much she could see the engine ten or twelve cars up. It was an old world steam engine with a boiler, over crusted with obelisk shards. The train peaked out around the hill and disappeared like a snake, taking each subsequent car with it out of sight.

There had been something written down the side of the engine, faint and far away, Sakura was still able to make it out.

"The Tea Lion Express. Fine, that's my third gate."

Sweeping her short curls over her ears and out of her face, Sakura turned towards the end of the car and reached for the door. It groaned when she tried to push down the handle, but didn't budge an inch. Locked, it wasn't about to let anyone though.

"Fine," Sakura growled, holding out her hand and envisioning a short gold handled blade.

Simple and streamline while still being aesthetically appealing, Sakura took the sword into both her hands and raised it up above her head before swinging it down. The door screamed, throwing her back onto her ass. Her sword landed next to her in pieces. Angry, Sakura formed an ivory handled revolver and fired it off before the cuts on her face could sting. Just like with the sword, the door screamed and shot back her bullets, nearly striking her.

Dropping her gun into mist, Sakura approached the door again and looked it over. Still locked, there were **three** different keyholes lined up above the curve handle. Sakura thought up a skeleton key and tried jamming it into the holes, but the keyholes rejected anything that wasn't meant for it like a positive magnet with another positive magnet.

"Kay, I got it, I have to find three keys in order to get to the next world or level or whatever. I've seen this play before." It was common enough in video games for Sakura to feel fine with the task and not too confused.

Backtracking, Sakura sat down in front of her tea and sipped at the Lemon Balm. Lemon Balm tea was supposed to be good for you if you were stressed, and it was hard to imagine any other emotion being appropriate for her current situation in life. She tipped her teacup back and felt something brush her lips. Pulling back, something white and curled floated on what was left of the tea in her cup. Sakura reached in with her two fingers and pulled out the roll. It was a piece of paper that was thick with something like wax, likely to preserve it while inside the tea.

Unrolled, Sakura scanned the elegant cursive handwriting.

'A force of Might you may be, but how do you do with Puzzles of the Mind?'

Sakura rolled her eyes, tossing the paper back into her empty teacup, pretending whoever wrote the message could hear her. 

"That didn't even rhyme. What were you, lazy? That's cryptic enough but you lose points for wording."

Sakura stood again, and this time she noticed something different about the car. While it was true she was the only one on board, there were no other places set at any of the tables save for one. Closer to the door and on the opposite side of the room, there was a table set and a short box on the empty china plate.

Not bothering to sit down, Sakura picked up the box and turned it over, recognizing it after a few turns. It was a puzzle box. She used to have one like it as a child, being a gift from her father. They were pretty big in Japan, and that's where this one looked like it was from. The Puzzle Box in her hand was made of a recognizable Yosegi pattern. The pattern would help her match up the correct panels.

Sakura was good with puzzles. It was something her mind was wired for. Puzzle solving always seemed to calm her down and make everything else around her seem simple. If only life were like a puzzle with an easily manipulated pattern, and sequence that could be exploited faithfully time after time. Puzzles always had answers if you worked hard and long enough-not like life.

She heard a click and a panel popped open, showing off a key. Sakura picked at it with her two fingers before pulling it free. It was tiny, and she doubted it would fit in any of the keyholes, but once she matched it up, the key slid perfectly into the first available key slot.

When Sakura turned back, there was one more table with a setting in place. Like the first table, this table also had a puzzle box waiting for Sakura, but it was a tad larger. Sakura had to sit down to play through the puzzle, but just like the first one, this one proved no match for her. After a while, she had the second key.

Following through with the motions, Sakura fit the key into the second lock and when she turned back, there was one last puzzle box waiting for her on the table closest to the door. It felt a bit too easy, but for the first night of a new gate, it was probably the only mercy she would encounter. If Sai were around she would be able to ask him, but since he wasn't…

Sakura picked up the puzzle box and slid out the large panels, rearranging, twisting, and turning them so that they fit into a pattern. It took longer than the other two, and she could feel the strain of the end of the dream start to tug on the corners of her reality, but Sakura finally managed to get the key out in time, rushing to place it inside the door and undo the last of the locks. She felt something give behind the door, and this time when she twisted the handle the wood gave way and she was hit with heat and light.

* * *

Sakura sat up in bed, rubbing the back of her head, making her already wild bed head messier than before. She stood and crossed over to her bathroom, stopping to find her reflection in the mirror marred with tear stains. The scratches were nothing, and not even noticeable unless she looked for them.

"Just another night in the nightmare," Sakura told herself before stepping into the shower. When she stepped out again she heard Ami poking about in her room. Knotting a towel around her bust, Sakura opened the door to the bedroom and peak to look out.

"Sakura," Ami exclaimed, jumping a bit, "I was going to wake you if you weren't up already! Do you have an interview today?" 

Sakura forced an easy smile and situated her hands confidently atop her hips.  "Interview was last Monday. Today's my first day, but it's still a big deal. I worked a bit for Mrs. Adams while in high school, doing data entry for her company. Now that she has a baby on the way, she needs someone to run to all the remote sites and do the accounting work on site." Sakura turned back to the mirror and wiped away the fog left behind. "You want to help me pick out something to wear while I do my hair?"

"Ah, you're so reliable, Sakura. Another job so soon after just starting to look. I don't even know what I want to do with my life,” Ami sighed.

"You're going to dress me and be my professional roommate and chauffeur. That is why you exist in this world," Sakura called back, her voice low and ominous before being followed by a sinister laugh.

"You're a dork!" Ami sighed in over-exaggerated exasperation.

When Sakura eventually stepped out, her hair was straightened, dried, parted and clipped off to the side to keep from getting in her face. She still had to wear a towel, but her pale green bra straps peaked out from underneath. Ami had left to make breakfast downstairs, and laid out across the bed was a mint colored pencil skirt and a black and white striped three quarter sleeve shirt. When Sakura came down in her nude wedges Ami sighed at the sight.

"With your new haircut you look so grown up and mature. You're like an office lady… a hot office lady that can get plenty of action if she wants it. I feel left behind." 

Sakura laughed.  "Don't stress yourself, Ami. If I want to stop feeling like a screw up for failing most of my classes and taking a break from school, I have to come to that on my own." Sakura reached for a gray peacoat and paused. Something on Sakura's face softened, and she turned back to Ami with a less sarcastic expression. "But thank you for trying and sticking with me, I really appreciate it. When I get back I'll do dinner, and we can talk about our days. Don't make plans, okay?"

"As if I could." Ami rolled her eyes.

Sakura grabbed a shake in a can from the fridge and made a beeline for the car port outside where her station wagon waited. It didn't take her long to drive to Mrs. Adams, (Or Julia's), and by the time she pulled into the curved driveway, her shake was an empty can on the car floor for her to leave behind.

She was greeted at the door by the shorter blond with too red cheeks and a half dozen freckles across her nose. Julia was perfectly friendly and all smiles as she led Sakura into the home office and started going over what they needed to start working on before they left. The main purpose of Sakura's visit was to go with Julia to visit the sites she would go to for her days of data entry.

There was a bar, a construction company, an auto repair shop, a Vegan cafe, two pubs, and a bakery.

"Been to any of them before?" the pregnant woman asked, leaning over Sakura as the younger girl looked through the tax statements for each. She stopped when she got to the bar.

"This one, I've been there often enough," Sakura answered before pulling out the file for the Orchard. Mrs. Adams nodded approvingly.

"Good, that's one of the places you'll be at weekly, since I do the drawer for both the Orchard and Root. It's a lot of hours, so I break it up and would go two days a week, maybe two, four hour shifts. The guys there are super friendly though, you'll enjoy it." 

Sakura tucked the bank statement back into the file and slipped it away between the other manilla envelopes.  "Is that one of the locations we'll be visiting today?" 

Julia smiled knowingly.  "Why do you sound apprehensive, pet? No, that and Duke's Construction are for tomorrow. You have a lot to learn today, so I want your mind ready and focused. Those boys can be distracting." 

Sakura rolled her eyes, mentally questioning the possibility of her new boss consorting with Ami in regards to getting a date out of an Orchard employee.  "Mrs. A, when have you known me to ever be distracted by the rougher sex? I was always good for having my mind on my work."

"Which is why I hired you back, right away. Enough of that, let's get going. If we time it right, we might get free lunch!"

Sakura nodded wordlessly, picking up her purse and following her boss out. A part of her mind stayed stuck on the idea of working at the Orchard. It almost seemed too convenient, how it had all played out. Aside from that, she was almost apprehensive about going back to the bar, since she hadn't visited it since things in the dream world got bad. Ami went regularly enough, but Sakura hadn't been out to enjoy herself in such an open way since…

"Sakura?" The green eyed girl looked up and smiled.

"Don't worry, I can tolerate car oil smells. Working in their shop won't be a problem."

"You're a crafty one, Sakura pet. A part of you always looks far off. I think you're gone, but you're always right here." Julia eyed Sakura with a sly smile.

"Where else would I be?" Sakura forced another smile.

* * *

Sakura was back on the Tea Lion Express, sitting down in another shapely gown. Her hair was pulled back and pinned in place with pearls that matched the rows wrapped around her neck. While sleeveless, a thick fur shawl draped itself across her shoulders, keeping her warm. In front of her was a pale blue teacup with still warm tea. Reaching for it, Sakura inhaled and smelled peppermint before tasting it.

A whistle blew in the distance, and Sakura looked up to see a white winter landscape outside the windows closest to her. On the opposite side of the train were misty mountains at twilight. Both sets of windows had curtains partially drawn, but the rest of the car was not at all like the previous one. Instead of dining tables, there were lounging couches and petite oak trays built into the walls for socialites to relax and sip at.

Remembering the clue left in her drink, Sakura lifted her tea and tasted the flavor till there was nothing left of it. At the bottom of her tea cup remained a single rolled parchment.

_ 'I can rhyme when I want to!' _

Sakura turned it over looking for the clue, but there was nothing else written. 

"What?" she exclaimed, feeling cheated. "Is that it? No clue, no hint? What a rip off, slacker whiny baby. Fine, I can do this one my own."

Sakura brushed the curls that swept over her brow away from her eyelashes, taking the opportunity to look around the cabin. This car was similar to the first, but when Sakura looked, she noticed it was significantly longer- _larger_ too. The door at the end had a single keyhole, but was locked in much the same way. Also, there were people scattered about. Only a handful, and no two sitting together, but there were people in this car.

Walking up and down, Sakura counted five figures in total. There was a man reading a newspaper, another man reading a book, two ladies sitting together, one writing a letter, while the other stared out the window, and one male towards the back drinking tea. No one seemed to stand out on their own. The man drinking tea coughed every so often, and the ladies sitting together would often murmur words to one another, but Sakura couldn't find anything else that begged for her attention.

She returned to her teacup to look the message over again. 'I can rhyme when I want to!' She had trouble seeing that as meaning anything at all. All she had to go on was a gut feeling. Sakura traced the rim of her teacup and looked back out at the passengers. Only one of them was drinking tea.

Sakura stood and crossed the room to sit down across from the dark haired man with shadows under his eyes. He looked up at her before pulling out a white handkerchief to hide his pale, thin lips when he coughed.

"Do you have a key for me?" Sakura asked sweetly, interlacing her fingers and resting her chin atop them as she leaned forward on the table.

"Why would you think I had anything for you?" The man eyed her wearily.

"Gut feeling, also, you're the only other one here drinking tea and…" Sakura reached for his teacup, dragging it closer to her face to inhale the aroma. "It's the same as mine. You left the note in my teacup didn't you? That's why there was no clue this time. Who are you?" The man said nothing, still regarding her with apprehension until another cough forced him to break off his gaze.

"Intuition, was it?" he finally asked. Sakura shrugged, unlacing her fingers and folding her hands across her lap, out of sight.

"I just had a feeling, and now that I'm sitting down next to you, I can tell you're different from the others. Are you an actor, or something else?"

Underneath the table her fingers curled around the handle of a revolver, poised and ready to trigger a hailstorm of lead if the man said anything about being the dream killer. He heard the click from the hammer being pulled back and looked up quickly.

"I am not the dream killer, nor could I ever be. There are no such characters in the gate worlds!"

"Then a name?"

"Hayate, and I am the **Throat of Loss** , the third of your escorts; he who is plague born, blade of ire, and bridegroom to the dead."

"So you're like Sai?" She pretended she didn't feel a pinch in her chest when she said his name out loud.

"I am a guide like the Sigh of Dejection was, yes, but I am infinitely less biased in my practices. The Breath of Discontent was always partial to the words of the white snake, and the Sigh of Dejection was… uncharacteristically helpful. Do not expect such behavior from me. I am a neutral agent in the dreams."

"So are you going to give me that key, or am I going to have to do something for you?" Hayate took another sip from his tea before answering.

"Do you think it would be fair of me to just give you something for nothing?" Sakura's smile was sickeningly sweet.

"Oh, I'm sorry," She cooed in over-exaggeration, "I didn't realize we were making efforts to be fair in this crap shit dream world where my life is put in jeopardy every time I fall asleep, but now that you've brought it up, let's have that conversation." By the time she had finished speaking, her revolver was a Winchester rifle poking Hayate's sensitive regions underneath the table. He stiffened, but didn't cower.

"That is unnecessary. I am not your enemy. I am neutral."

"You're keeping me from progressing. Key. Now." Hayate coughed and tried shifting away from the barrel between his legs.

"I'll trade it to you, and consider my offer because I have more than just a key to give to you. I have information you will want." Sakura nudged the gun further. Her smile was sweet but her words were murder.

"Convince me."

"What do you think is beyond this car? What about the one after that, and the one after that? How many of them are there? Don't you want some of this information, or are you one of the rare few that prefers to go in blind?" When Sakura relaxed her hold on the gun, Hayate breathed out a sigh of relief that quickly turned into a cough. Once he was finished hacking, he looked up and tried finishing his thoughts. "I may be unbiased, but you may earn favors from me if you are _worthy_ of them. Trials and puzzles are my forte, but this is still the land of monsters, so not every night will be as peaceful as the last." Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"No, of course they won't be. This world is out to kill me, isn't it?" Pausing, Sakura regarded the sickly man before her and finally withdrew her Winchester rifle, returning it back to the pearl handled revolver from before. She pulled it up and set it down on the table, keeping her hand lightly curled around the trigger. Making a show of it, Sakura relaxed her hold until her fingers were outside the trigger.

Hayate seemed to calm down. Coughing again, the man reached inside his breast pocket and pulled out a metal key with a ribbon tied to the end. It looked broken in parts and seemed to be missing it's other half. 

"I will trade this to you… for the work of poetry by Charles Baudelaire." Hayate nodded to the man reading by the window on the opposite end of the car.

"That's it? Nothing else?" Sakura asked, mentally wondering how difficult it would be to acquire the book of poetry. It might be a simple time waster sort of task, or it could be a long drawn out errand where she ended up having to trade a penny for a house.

"I just want the book. The man himself might have ideas otherwise."

Sakura wanted to roll her eyes, but didn't. Instead, she stood and crossed the car over to where the man sat reading. He didn't look up or seem to notice her until she tapped the table in front of him and leaned over. He was taking off his spectacles when Sakura started speaking.

"Your book, I need it, how can I earn it from you?" Not minding or caring how rude she sounded, the blank face man blinked at her then shut the book.

"Ah yes, I am in need of something new to read. I'll give you this book if you can find me something new to read, maybe a newspaper."

Sakura glanced backwards over her shoulder at the man reading and thought about just summoning a newspaper of her own invention out of thin air, of dreaming a _new_ newspaper into existence, but when she tried nothing came. No surprise there, Sakura picked herself up, crossed the room and sat down in front of the expressionless man reading the newspaper.

Instead of tapping the table, she poked at his paper, turning the middle of it down to catch his attention. "I need to borrow your newspaper. When you're done, can I have it?"

"Oh, I wanted to finish, but this word puzzle has me stumped. You don't think you could help me solve it, do you? I would give it to you then."

"What kind of word search?" Sakura asked, sitting down next to the man as he laid his newspaper flat and showed off the small cross word search box in the corner. There were a few words filled in already, but the bulk of it was left blank.

Taking the clues, one by one, Sakura answered the puzzle, helping the man get through all of it without ripping the pen out of his hands and answering them all on her own. There were a few she had to get up and look around the room for clues to, but nothing she couldn't solve.

Once they were done, the man seemed genuinely pleased and handed the paper over to Sakura, who then took it over to the man reading poetry. He was just as happy to trade his book for her paper.

By the time Sakura sat down again, she felt the bulk of the dream world had already passed. She was nearing the end of her sleep. Handing the book over to Hayate, he poked a finger in between the pages and opened the book to a page where a hole had been cut out to make room for a key. Only half of a key remained inside. Hayate took out his key and combined it with the broken half he pulled out from the book. They fit into each other perfectly.

"I'm sure of it now," he murmured to himself before looking up at Sakura. "You solved the puzzle too quickly. This will be the last car where you advance based on your puzzle solving skills. The other cars will be dangerous. Make sure you are armed before you finish your tea."

"What's in the next car?"

"Monsters."

It was a single word, but it was enough of an answer. Beasts to kill, things that would devour her. There was little more she needed to know. 

"Then what about the actors I'll meet, and how many cars will I have to go through in order to get to the next kingdom? It won't be huge like the last gate was, right?"

"While the Monarch Woods were extended beyond their intended perimeters, the size of a gate is directly related to the size of the kingdom. The TeaLion Express, as it is now, will consist of no less than twelve cars, or twelve trials." Sakura narrowed her eyes at his language.

"You said 'no less,' meaning there could be more than twelve stupid cars for me to go through."

"Possibly." Hayate inclined his head.

"That's messed up. Why can't you just give me a straight answer? I got you your key and I was fast about it. Didn't I earn your answers? Isn't that  _ fair _ ?" Sakura didn't care if her tone was disrespectful or snappy. He still held on to the key to the next car and the fact that he hadn't passed it over to her hadn't gone unnoticed.

"The curse is a living magic that evolves. Everything you encounter in the dream world or see, was taken from your memories, from your mind. The only reason these foreign actors know English is because you know English. Slaves and foot soldiers who died before the birth of Christ can dress in buttons and drive automobiles because of your knowledge. Even these trials and tests are made out of what you know or think you know." He paused to cough into his handkerchief before continuing. "With that being said, the living curse is constantly evolving. What was once a wild lion hunt for one dreamer is now a train ride. Not even I know everything that will transpire."

"So what you just said was that you don't know.  _ Great _ ." Sakura growled in frustration. "None of this sounds fair to me."

"That is why it is called a curse."

The feeling of her nails in her palms, digging little half moon circles into her flesh kept her from reaching across the table and smacking Hayate upside the head. 

"What can you tell me, Throat of Loss guy? What are you good for?"

"There will not be a high number of actors in this gate. However, in the Kingdom of Monsters you should expect more than any kingdom previously. Also, this is information you would have no knowledge of, but the Sigh of Dejection has been dispositioned from his post as guide." 

Whatever that meant, it was about Sai, and Sakura felt strangled.  "He's not dead? What do you mean he's been… he's not a guide anymore? What does that have to do with anything?"

"He was terribly disobedient and abused his powers. When Kimimaro sinned in the past, it was always pardoned because it was for the white snake. Sai sided against that same snake. He was meant to be erased from the curse and his soul damned." Sakura gasped, feeling the half moons in her hands break flesh. Hayate noticed, but didn't comment on the new blood seeping under her fingernails. "However, he is also the 'knower of hidden ways' and is no longer under the gaze of the all seeing eye, as fate would allow it." Another coughing spell interrupted his words. "Still, he is no longer a guide and without the body of one. This is gossip and of no value to me, but he was close to you. Take this information as payment for your success."

Sakura pulled her hands back onto her lap and uncurled her fingers. The blood was there, shallow and pretty as roses. 

_Sai_.

Somehow he still existed. What became of him? What had she done to him, really? She sliced through his body, or the body that had once been his, but what did that actually do? Was that a true death, would she see him again, would he ever truly die while in the curse.

"Don't dwell on it. The next night you dream, you will encounter enemies. I may not see you again until the Kingdom of Monsters. Until then…" He handed over the key and she took it eagerly. "Do your best to survive."

* * *

_ "No one has imagined us. We want to live like trees, sycamores blazing through the sulfuric air, dappled with scars, still exuberantly budding, our animal passion rooted in the city." _

_ — Adrienne Rich _

* * *

Ami was loud coming up the stairs and Sakura knew she was at her door before the knocking started. 

"Come in," Sakura called, painting the ends of her eyes with liner. When she turned around, Ami had already made a bee line for her closet and was pulling out things.

"You're going to the Orchard today, right?" Sakura wanted to groan, but she didn't.

"Contrary to popular belief, I can dress myself, Ami, and I'll be working. I'm not playing or hanging around with the other employees. I do work in the back." When she turned around, Ami had large watery eyes. 

"Please let me help. Karin and I have a bet going on who's going to ask you out first, and I'm losing."

"Of all the-" Sakura wanted to crawl back into bed and hide under the covers. "I'm in no state to be emotionally attaching myself to someone, and hell, even if I wasn't on the verge of going insane again, I wouldn't want a boyfriend out of either of them. It's fine the way it is, I don't want things to change."

"But when was the last time you went out with someone or had a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend, no judging. You're just really alone and…" Ami's words were cut off when Sakura reached out to pull the smaller girl into a hug.

"Thank you for trying to take care of me in the ways you know how, but trust me, I got this. I'll talk to Karin later, because this bet is stupid and makes me feel uncomfortable."

Sakura let Ami go and turned back to her closet to pull out the dress shirt and black skinny jeans that fit nicely into her slouch, camel boots. It was still chilly enough for a light cardigan, so Sakura pulled out a thin navy colored one with camel colored elbow patches to match her boots. Soon enough, it would be too warm for even long sleeves, but the cold season lingered.

"What about you, Ami?" Sakura asked, painting her lips and double checking to make sure everything she needed was in her purse. "Where's your boyfriend?" The younger girl shrugged meekly.

"I've gone out on dates. No one's to my tastes."

"Then I think I should try harder to set you up with someone." With a playful wink, Sakura left the bedroom for the garage and made it to her car without further comment on the subject. The last thing she wanted to talk about was dating someone when her heart was in as many pieces as it was.

Sasori had set her on fire with feeling and then trampled all over her. It wasn't fair how he managed to make her feel so special and cherished, only to go on and ignore and ridicule her like an entirely new person. Even at the end, when he called her name, and wanted her back, there was something broken between them. A part of her would alway cherish Sasori, but she couldn't believe that for as long as he existed in the dreamworld he could be someone worth her commitment.

_'They're not real people, Sakura,'_ the voice inside her chastised her.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean my feelings weren't real."

Sakura turned her blinker on and pulled off the road onto a side street that ended up in Julia's house. Much like yesterday, Sakura went in to meet her boss, and soon after, they both left to the first of the two locations they would be visiting.

The construction office was simple and streamline, making it easy to find the little nook where she would work. The secretary there was pleasant enough, but Sakura liked the idea of being there only once a month.

When they reached the Orchard, Julia led Sakura in through the back and they emerged in the employee only section. Off to the right, Sakura saw the loading area for their bulk deliveries, and off to the left were some back rooms. Straight ahead was the hallway to the public areas. Sakura and Julia passed the door that led downstairs to Root, but if Julia knew about it, she didn't mention it.

"You're early?" a voice called out from one of the rooms to the left. Sakura and Julia both turned to see one of the older employees with shoulder length brown hair pulled back with a bandana coming out of the office. He smiled at the pregnant woman. "I thought I'd have enough time to tidy up before you came, but I guess not." Sakura recognized him from before, but it was Julia who spoke his name.

"I'm right on time, Genma, don't give me any sass for it."

"Ah, but you're always late, so it seems like you're early. Ah don't look at me like that, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Julia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I'm sorry Sakura, this is Genma, he works at the bar here and has been an employee for as long as I can remember. I'm pissed to admit it, but he's decent at showing newbies around, so you'll be working closely with him in the first few weeks."

Genma grinned and took a step towards the pair, holding out his hand for Sakura to take. Sakura met him halfway and shook before he could get too close, keeping the space between them. If he noticed the intentional distance she protected, he didn't mention it.

"So, you're going to be Julia's little helper while she's out with the baby. You seem young for such boring work. Have you worked in accounting before?" Sakura forced an easy smile.

"I have, but it's been a while so you'll have to be patient with me."

"Back off, Genma, Sakura's a good girl. You're not allowed to touch her," Julia warned, crossing her arms over her ample chest. Leaning in towards the younger girl she added in a whisper, "You don't want to touch this one, he's a man whore in the worst possible way."

"Hey!" Genma whined, sounding upset. "Don't say mean things about me, I'm not such a bad guy, and just for the record, I've been in a relationship for three weeks now."

"Oh, is that a record?" Julia dryly asked. Genma rolled his eyes.

" _ Hardly _ ."

"Either way," Sakura smoothly interjected, speaking before they could get off on another tangent. "How about we start looking at those register reports? Julia said there was plenty of work for me here, so let's get started."

"I'm fine with that," Genma chirped happily, turning and waving over his shoulder. "Follow me and I'll get you set up before going back out to the front. Ah, speaking of which, either one of you want anything to drink, eat, snack? We got raspberry scones."

"Do they have cheese on them?" Julia asked, not caring that Genma was looking at her in horror.

"No, they're  _ raspberry _ ." Julia reached down to trace the shape of her swollen stomach.

"Fine, I'll have one, but it would taste better with cheese on it." Genma looked to Sakura, and she smiled.

"I would love one, thank you."

While Genma walked off to see to his orders, Julia led Sakura to one of the rooms with a computer in it. There was a printer set up next to it with a stack of unsorted papers on a metal shelf rack above it. Julia went through the unsorted papers, pulling them out and showing Sakura how to go about reading and entering them. There was a bit of back work that would keep Sakura busy, so the pair started working on that and were halfway done with the sales sheets for the previous month when Genma came back with their scones and some green tea.

Julia made a comment about the less than speedy service and Sakura simply thanked Genma, ignoring how comfortable her boss seemed to be with the male employee.

"You're just a stand up comedian, Julia," Genma dryly commented, soaking his words with sarcasm. Shaking his head, he leaned over to watch what Sakura was doing in quickbooks. "Are you going to do the stuff for Root next, or are you going to do that one remotely?"

"Nothing can be done remotely. Once we're done here, I'll show Sakura how to do the same with Root, but it's straightforward." Julia looked down at Sakura, looking a little taken aback. "Did I tell you about Root? I don't think I did. I'm so sorry, pet."

"I assumed as much," Sakura replied easily, still entering data. "I've been to Root before and it feels like a whole other world, so it would make sense for it to be reconciled as a separate entity."

"That's it!" Genma exclaimed all of a sudden. Both females turned to stare at him and the sudden attention made him stutter and blush. "No, ah, ignore me. I just remembered something or made a connection or… a… I have to go, but I'll be back, or someone will be back. That's another thing, Julia. Before you guys leave, Sakura needs to meet everyone here. It's important in case you need to ask for help with something, right?"

"That was next on our to do list. Who's working today?"

"The only other person from the night shifts is Yamato, but Becky and Tyra are in as well. Don't leave without introducing yourself."

Sakura felt unsettled. Something about Genma's reaction reminded her too much of how Ami had behaved earlier when the pair were talking about boys and potential partners. Unintentionally, Sakura let out a muffled groan once Genma stepped out. Julia noticed it right away though.

"What's the matter?" Sakura shook her head, short hair hitting her neck and tickling the underside of her jaw.

"Nothing, I just feel weird all of a sudden, because I've been a customer here before. It's stupid, don't mind me."

Julia didn't say anything more, but guided Sakura through the rest of the steps, listing in a notepad all the different things Sakura would need to remember to do once she came in on her own without someone to guide her. Once they finished, Sakura took the notebook and folded it into her purse for safe keeping. The pair were packing up when Gennma popped back in to harass them one last time about meeting everyone.

"We can say hello while walking out the front door. I have an appointment tonight, so we can't stay too long. Is that alright with you, Sakura?" Julia looked back at Sakura, narrowing her eyes a fraction.

"Peachy." The green eyed girl nodded.

Becky was biting with a quick, acidic wit and long blond hair that cleverly deceived onlookers into assuming she might be angelic. Tyra was pierced and tatted up and down, but soft spoken and polite to Sakura. Sakura looked for the boy Gennma mentioned, but couldn't find Yamato, or any other worker, out by the counter.

"We're all that's on duty right now. Dead eyes took off for a break somewhere. He'll be back later, but don't hold your breath. It's not busy, so he'll take his time." Becky laughed, watching Sakura with pale gray eyes that saw too sharply.

For some reason Sakura felt better, but kept the breath of relief from slipping free. She faked a smile and said something about how disappointing it would be to miss out on meeting 'the other employee.' Julia nodded and Sakura followed her out the front door. Her foot was on the threshold when the shout came.

"Wait!"

She turned and he was there, too close, and coming closer. Julia moved in front of Sakura and stood out to greet the young man first. Yamato was wearing distressed jeans and a half apron that shrugged down more on one side than the other. A notepad stuck out, and Sakura smelled sharpie ink.

"The girls told me you would be working here, Sakura," Yamato said, smiling as he came to a stop in front of them. He then turned to Julia and held out his hand. "I don't think we've ever been properly introduced. I normally work the night shifts."

Julia repeated her name and shook his hand firmly before explaining a bit of what Sakura would be doing.

"So you'll be working here two days a week?" Yamato asked, looking to Sakura who held onto her elbow while trying to not look meek.

"Seems so, but only in the back and on the computer. You probably won't see much of me. I promise not to make too much trouble for you guys when I'm here."

"I doubt you could," Yamato chuckled. His eyes then flickered up to the curls tucked back behind her bobby pins. "You cut your hair. When did that happen?" Sakura reached up and brushed back the hair he was watching too closely.

"A little over a month ago. It was just one of those things I wanted to try before I changed my mind again." The lie came too easily, maybe that was because this wasn't the first time she told it.

"You wear it nicely. I like it. When will you be coming back in?"

Sakura looked to Julia and then shrugged.  "It all depends on when I finish the other work I have to do." Sakura felt a jolt of panic when she saw the question come into his eyes, and just knew he was getting ready to ask her for her number, so she laughed nervously. "We'll see, but ah, I have to take off now. I'll see you around."

"We might be late like this if we stay any longer," Julia added, making it sound believable. The older woman helped Sakura out and the pair waved over their shoulders while making it out to the front street and taking the path around back to where they had parked. Climbing into the car Julia looked over at Sakura, frowning.

"Has that boy ever made you feel unsafe?" Sakura blinked so Julia asked again. "Has he said or done anything in the past?"

"N-No! Oh, no, it's not that at all. I… I don't distrust him or anything like that, and I think he's an okay guy, but one of my friends is trying to push me into… 'seeing him' and it makes me feel weird. It doesn't help that I think he's not opposed to the idea either. It's stupid, really. Don't even think about it." Sakura tried to laugh it off but Julia still looked worried and hadn't started the car yet.

"Don't ever think it's stupid. It may be nothing, but I'm glad I asked. I don't want you ever feeling unsafe or uncomfortable around the men you work with, Sakura. Tell me if something happens or you feel differently. I'll listen.

The engine turned over and the rest of the car shook to life. Sakura didn't have to fake the grin this time. 

"Thank you."

* * *

When she awoke in the dream world, she was sitting down in front of a table, and this time the tea in front of her came in a cup with no handles. She reached for it and felt warmth seep through her fingertips. What she tasted was suckled Jasmine. There was a tea set on her table and a few scattered plum tree blossoms. She could smell the plum trees when her tea wasn't right under her nose to overpower the scent.

This time, she was dressed in peasant garbs. Dull pants tucked into boots, and a faded brown long sleeve shirt with a ripped collar.

Out the windows to her immediate right were vast rice fields, wet and green. When she looked left though, the green hills were scattered with the dead bodies of ancient Chinese Warriors who lay impaled upon enemy swords and strung up against pole beams. Some were shredded clean through, the product of a quick death, while others lay in bloodied pieces among smeared red pools. Their death had not been so swift or painless, Sakura imagined. Upset by the sight, she let the curtain drop.

The boxcar she was in currently looked the least like any of the cars seen previously, that Sakura almost doubted the fact she was still stuck on a train. This car was long, long enough to rival a football field, and filled with red pillars that disappeared into dogwood and plumb blossom branches. Curtains of Emperor Jade fluttered in between the podiums.

While similar to the Kingdom of Beasts, Sakura recognized the ornate Chinese details hidden in the molding and tucked away into the baseboards. The colors alone, emperor jade, crimson, and yellow were-

Sakura summoned her bone sword and readied herself, remembering the words of Genma. She was armed, and she was ready to shed limbs if the need presented itself. There was a yellow figure in the middle of the hall, veiled and soft with silk. A blossom of red began to bloom across the body and the woman pitched forward, her veil slipping. Sakura was faster, and was there before Hinata could hit the floor. 

"Shit!" Sakura exclaimed, panicking at the sight of blood. The first true actor she met on the TeaLion Express and she's dying. "Hinata!"

Chakra wouldn't flow through her hands, but Sakura applied pressure to the wound and strained her hands as the red continued to flow through her fingers. The wounds were not all deep, but all were long and the middle most one was the worst of them all. It looked like something wild tore through her.

The blood flowed slower and Sakura felt something stir between her hands and Hinata's wounds. It wasn't enough, but her prayers were unceasing and before long it became when Hinata needed to live. The pale girl turned towards Sakura, the jade and red ornaments in her hair clinking together at the movement. 

"Thank you, but I am not long for this world, as they so wished. Your efforts are…"

"Shut up, I'm not watching you die," Sakura snapped, not caring if she sounded mean or ready to cry or both at the same time. Hinata didn't seem taken aback, but closed her eyes and nodded. 

"I'm sorry, the sight is…distasteful. I am the unwanted concubine of the Emperor Xio Wu. To touch me is to invite his wrath. I am not worth it."

"Wow, you talk a lot. Shut up if you're not going to grow a spine," Sakura snapped.

The green eyed girl imagined bandages woven through with healing herbs and sunlight, and when she opened her eyes, they were next to her knee. It was enough to bind the wounds. When she looked up again, there were tear stains on the pale girl's face, even though Hinata was trying her hardest not to cry.

"Whoever he is, he's not worth your tears. Please don't think you're anything less than perfect or… or unworthy of being saved or anything like that. You're worse than Karin."

"You've been very kind to me," Hinata whispered, keeping her moon colored eyes shut, refusing to see a person watch her cry. "Thank you. Please be safe. Do not go forward." Forward was where the door was.

"I kind of have to. What's up ahead? Was it the thing that did this to you?" Hinata nodded, her head heavy with the movement.

"Two mouths, those of heaven and hell." Swallowing, Hinata reached up into her hair, and with stiff fingers, pulled free a comb with curved teeth perfect for catching hair. "This will bring you luck, or it should, if you have not already angered heaven."

Sakura took the dragon pin and felt its sharp edges, before trying to secure it into her already short hair. It was a pain, but with a little imagined bobby pins, the heavy jade dragon caught the knots in her hair and stayed secure. It would have looked nicer if her hair were longer and pulled back, and Sakura was tempted to tear the dragon pin out, but resisted at the last moment. It was fine. She was just being vain.

"You won't suffer forever," Sakura said, standing up and reaching out into the air for her sword again.

Once upon a time, it had been her hands she felt best with in a fight, and then it was knives. Before she even thought of it, the sword was there like an extension of herself. She wasn't Zabuza in terms of skill, but she still felt the potential for growth blooming in her chest.

Turning on her heel, Sakura stepped towards the far end of the car and began to walk. The car's floor felt inclined under her feet, and soon Sakura found herself at the base of a staircase, guarded by two stone Fuu dogs. The heavy iron door at the top of the stairs had two key holes, each outlined by a dragon swallowing the base of the key hole.

Two keys, two mouths, one for heaven and one for hell. Simple enough, just where were those stupid mouths for her to slice open?

She took a step, raised her sword, and then took another. She kept her elbows up and close to her chest but not too close. Another step, and she made her body into a drawn bowstring. Sakura stepped up the stairs, feeling moisture in the air that was dank and rancid. Mouth moisture, the kind that exists right outside of a dog's mouth. She was nearly between the two dogs when Sakura thought to look down. The left one's paw was stained red.

She cursed and rolled out of the way, keeping her sword close to her body and ready to thrust outward when she came out of her roll. He was bigger than her, but stiffer and slower, and that made Sakura more than deadly in a fight. With her opponent still stiff from his stone life, she was death personified. His head went flying and his body fell limp. Sliding off his rolling tongue was a thin metal key in the shape of a man.

Sakura turned to the next Imperial Guard Dog, but stopped short when she saw it already moving, crouching, baring it's clean teeth. This one would not be slow, but it would be dead soon enough, either way. It charged and Sakura evaded. Turning and twisting, it reached for her and she was fast enough to dance out of its reach.

Like a ghost, she saw Kisame's image in a thrust that came out of a sharp turn. Perfectly executed, it would bring her right under the dog and put her in a position to cut through its neck.

'Always with me,' she thought.

Her body moved like it wasn't made up of parts. Bone, sinew, muscles; she was a single force, sliding into position and tearing through the dog's exterior. The ghost memory of Kisame guiding her every step of the way; she called down a rain of blood.

The limp body landed with a wet thud at her feet, and Sakura breathed out a sigh of relief. On its tongue was the second man shaped key she needed to unlock the door. She had made it just in time. She could feel the dream stretching and knew that she only had a few more minutes before she would have to wake up, if she could manage to fight against the pull that long.

Two keys, one shaped like a man, the other like a woman. Sakura inserted both into their proper holes and shook free the blood and spit that still clung to her fingers. The keys caught onto something and began to turn themselves, opening the door inch by inch just as the dream world wrapped up. Like a scroll being rolled up, the world faded away and the images were no more.

* * *

She didn't know why she woke up expecting her hands to be wet with slobber and blood, but they weren't. Maybe a little bit of sweat from a too real nightmare, but it was nothing a quick shower wouldn't fix, and it was early enough that she could afford to take a long, hot one.

It was a short day for her, since it was one of the days she worked her old job as a visiting angel. She still had two patients she needed to visit, and afterwards the rest of the day was hers to waste. There were no more assignments, no more tests, no more deadlines, just work. No direction, just work.

There was a calendar hanging on the back of her closet door, but she hadn't bothered to turn it to April, since she still felt stuck in the past. (Soon she'll be behind by two months, but that wasn't something worth caring about.) Sakura couldn't believe so much time had passed, that she had bombed out of all her classes, and wasted so much of her own money on something she would likely never be able to reach for again.

She turned to water from warm to icy cold, hissing as it hit her pale flesh and stung like teeth. It was just the sort of motivation she needed to help get her out of the shower and into her clothes.

She was still getting dressed when Ami answered the front door and let Karin in. Pulling a graphic tee over her head, Sakura heard shouting from downstairs and then a dull roar as feet clambered up the steps. Both girls were on her threshold moments later, not caring that Sakura was still hopping into her skinny jeans.

"He kissed me!" Karin screamed. Sakura fell over and landed on her hip, cursing wildly. Forgetting her pants, Sakura scrambled up and reached out to Karin, shaking her. 

"What the hell does that mean? Who kissed you?"

"It was less a kiss and more like a hot make out session complete with hair pulling and biting and- ah, okay, I got it. I told you I'd tell you first if someone ever made a move and Suigetsu made the move."

"I always figured you for a kinky one," Ami commented, trying not to sound too giddy. "Who initiated it? Suigetsu, right?" Sakura felt a familiar pull in her gut and shook her head. Karin grinned wickedly in response.

"No, it was me, but I didn't plan it or anything. It was just…" Karin let the words trail off as a far away look came into her eyes. She giggled and Sakura felt a little bit better. This was a good thing to see. Karin smiling, blushing, giggling over a boy that hadn't already broken her heart. Karin was healing.

"I had a feeling it would be you to make the first move, that's so like you," Sakura laughed.

"Details?" Ami asked

"I… it was towards the end and we were both on shift, and we went into the back fridge looking for the cheese and he made a joke about girls or something like that, something stupid and I got angry at him and he got angry at me- all butthurt about his feelings- so he said something and I said something back and we're glaring at each other and he was all, 'oh just bite me already Karin,' so I did."

"You bit him?" Ami's eyes were wide.

"Among other things. I shoved him first and then… I just really wanted to kiss him and his hands went right into my hair and it was like something out of a movie. It was amazing. The rest of the night is a blur until he went home. Dad being there was awkward, but not that big of a deal.”

Sakura nodded, watching her friend. She and Ami had an inkling to Suigetsu's true feelings for a long while now. The poor kid made it obvious to the world whenever he talked to Karin or hung out with them. He had eyes for her. His words were tentative in the beginning until she set him off and then he was a fire that burned only for her, arguing back and forth with her over all little things. Sakura thought they fit well.

"So you're a couple now. How did he take it?"

"What?" 

Sakura feared as much.  "You didn't just kiss the tar out of that poor boy and leave him there, did you?" 

Karin frowned and averted her eyes.  "I… forgot to… talk to him before… or I mean after I was done with my shift, but dad was there and I forgot and…" Karin looked up with a rare sheer of fear in her eyes. "What if he hates me now?"

"I'm pretty sure that's not even possible," Ami remarked, her tone dry.

Sakura chuckled, reaching for her phone on the bed. She scrolled for the said boy's name and began tying off a message to look at later once he could answer his phone. She kept it vague, but made sure he would know who she was talking about.

_ Suigetsu: You're all she can talk about right now. Treat her right or I'll kill you. _

Before she could turn her phone off, the bubbles popped up, meaning he was typing back. Sakura glanced up at Karin before reading the new message.

_ Sakura: is she there _

_ Sakura: what did she say _

_ Sakura: was it bad _

_ Sakura: will she talk to me _

The messages came in quick succession, one right after the other. Poor kid was obviously freaked out so Sakura sent off another message.

_ Suigetsu: She likes you, but she is still learning the right way to go forward. Don't freak out on me like that. She will talk with you tonight, I'll make sure of it _

She hit the gray SEND button and waited a few more seconds before the bubbles popped up again. A second later the letters popped up, looking neater and better punctuated than before.

_ Sakura: Thank you. _

When she looked up again, Karin was laughing at Ami, saying something about how Sakura was a lost cause so they had to work on getting Ami a boyfriend now, even though that would be more difficult considering the number of date mates Ami played with. Finding a boy to stick would be harder than it sounded.

Sakura grabbed her skinny jeans and struggled into them, not missing how they were only a little bit loose on her legs. She must have lost weight again. Before she could stop it, another thing in her life had changed.

* * *

"What the hell is this?" Sakura seethed. Her heart was in her throat and with every breath she broke a little bit of it. It hurt to breath, it hurt to stand, it hurt to see.

How had this happened. She screwed her eyes shut and forced her lungs to fill with the oxygen she needed for clear thought. Exhaling slowly, her mind ran back to the beginning, desperate for answers.

Waking up in the dream world, she was in an old English looking garden with an ornate teacup of berry green tea. She was dressed in long peach colored skirts and a matching blouse that choked her neck with mother of pearl buttons. An extravagant hat sat tilted slightly to one side upon her crown, weighed down with rose, white, and silver feathers. She sipped her tea, found a note at the bottom and read it out loud.

_ Why would you ever want to leave?  _ On the back there was a second message that sounded mocking.  _ Feeling Lonely? _

She hadn't thought much of it then, and even less of it once she stood to leave the garden. In this car the end was easy to find, and Sakura doubted it would take much effort to reach the door to the next box car that was disguised as the green glass door to an old, victorian greenhouse.

There were flowering trees everywhere, the car was thick with them. Most of the blossoms shed in shades of pink, white and red. It was very lovely, especially the rose bushes, but she wasn't ready to believe this box car was all that it appeared to be. Nothing in the nightmare was ever what it first seemed to be, and never was it easy. She was cursed, after all. The cursed were never so fortunate.

She paused to stop and smell one of the roses. It was open wide and dyed blood red by nature. The petite thorns that decorated it's stem pulled at the pads of Sakura's fingers when she tried to stoke it. Her hand came away with one finger split open in a shallow wound that would heal in seconds.

Pain was always a funny thing in the nightmare. Normal dreams never hurt, never made her feel anything physical, but the nightmares born out of the Obelisk were no such dreams. She could feel pain, maybe not in the same way, but she felt pain well and true when she pricked her fingers or bruised her knuckles. She felt it when swords slashed shallow across her stomach and when daggers dug deeper. She felt the bruises and the blood loss.

Sakura sucked her finger; even this pain she could feel.

'Enough of that, the door is near enough. I have to figure out what kind of challenge he has in store for me.'

The flowers and trees did little to obstruct her way as she made a beeline for the back of the car where the door was sure to be. Each turn or twist brought a little more beauty to the boxcar. There were birds and dragonflies and gentle bumble bees that made the car feel vibrant with life. It was very pleasant, but not pleasant enough to tempt her into staying.

Sakura coughed a little, the pollen in the air tickling her lungs. She felt another tickle and stopped to sneeze into her hand, and when she did, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She righted herself and turned to the side in order to see more clearly. Yes, there were indeed a pair of legs in dress slacks sticking out from behind a rose bush.

Sakura picked up her skirts, stepped off the path, and into the grass to round the bush and see what sort of actor was laying in the roses, when her heart decided to give out. She felt assaulted all at once, gasping and dropping her skirts. Knees did her little good as they began to buckle.

"What the hell is this?" Sakura seethed. Her heart was in her throat and with every breath she broke a little bit of it. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to stand, it hurt to see. It just hurt.

He turned in his sleep, angling his face deeper into the roses that must have woken him, since his eyelashes fluttered and a deep groan melted between his lips before his arms stretched out above him. He wore a black waistcoat, a pale white shirt, and matching dress pants that seemed dated from the early victorian era. His eyelids were heavy over his eyes as he awakened and looked around. He found her soon enough, and when he did, he smiled wide. That was when she felt herself melt a little on the inside.

"Sakura," he breathed, sounding so relieved to see her. He reached for her, and before she could think to stop him, he had her in his arms, pulling her down into the grass where he could pin her to his side. His kiss was tender as his lips ghosted over the skin of her temple, haunting her.

"Sasori," Sakura choked, feeling lost. He knew her name, he remembered her! The way he treated her, kissed her, it was like he was the same Sasori from when she first met him. All sweet, demure, and adorably in love with her.

"I've waited so long for you my doll, my angel, my queen," he breathed above her skin. "Why did you have me wait so long? You know I have the patience of a child." He kissed her forehead again. "God, how I've missed you."

His kisses made her heart soar and plummet all at once.

_ This _ was what she wanted. This was what she longed for back in the Kingdom of Beasts, when they met for the second time. The hurt was still fresh from all the days and weeks she tried to reach him, only to be shut out and ridiculed. She didn't dwell on it, but when she remembered those days, she remembered the hurt.

"Sasori," was all she could manage to get past her lips. "How…?"

"You sound even more exhausted than I, and  _ I _ was the one asleep in your rose garden." He pulled away a little bit to look her face over before kissing her eyelids. "You do look tired. Have you been having nightmares again?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, feeling numb.

Somehow she managed to find the flow of the conversation and fall into it, despite her emotional state. She didn't understand what was going on, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to play along and try to find out. So what if her emotional insides resembled the smoothy mess left behind after a blender has it's way with a handful of fruit? This was just another way the curse chose to hurt her and she needed to fight it.

"You always have rotten dreams when you sleep outside. You know you're not supposed to do so without me."

"I didn't fall asleep, I just…dozed off a bit." She blinked, grasping at ideas and coming up short. "I was having tea just now."

"With who?" She felt his hands on her waist tense. Each individual finger made an indent she could feel and distinguish as his body tightened with a subtle rigidity.

"No one," Sakura answered carefully. "Who would you think-"

"Shhh!"

Sasori pulled her closer to his body till she was practically on top of him, bracing herself with a hand against his chest. Behind him on the other side of the bushes, there was the sound of shoes on gravel. Though pinned down, Sakura lifted her eyes enough that she could see through the hedge as a figure passed by. Whoever he was, he was also dressed in a waistcoat suit, same as Sasori, though this suit was lighter, making it navy. Maybe there were other differences too, but Sakura didn't notice them as she was struggling to see the face of the person as they passed her by. Sakura had to lean back and to the side to see out of the gap left between branches, but it was enough for her to catch a shock of titian and know who it was Sasori was hiding from.

"That was Pein," she breathed, a second after the said man had left her range of visibility.

She felt the growl vibrate in Sasori's chest underneath her hand. When she looked down, he was scowling. 

"Did you want him to see you?" Before she could say something, he turned his face away with a jerk and dragged her closer. "He's always trying to get in my way. I won't have him interrupting my monopoly. I waited too long for you, today. He shall not ruin my good mood."

"Why would he do that?" Sakura asked, suspecting it had something to do with the rivalry they shared back in the first kingdom. Pein and Sasori hadn't appreciated each other when they were greaser gang members. Maybe the same was true in this world. Sasori kissed her jaw and she wanted to close her eyes and leave her head there. 

"Because he'll try and take you away from me, same as always. He's a devil for it too. I don't want you leaving me to go to him. I don't care if he's your family's honored guest, I'm the one you're going to marry."

"Oh, really?" Sakura asked. "When was that decided?"

Another kiss on her jaw. 

"The moment I laid eyes on you, my doll."

Sakura felt warm. She felt safe, and she felt cherished above all else. This was the same Sasori who would eat waffles and pretend to enjoy them when Konan made breakfast for dinner at the diner. This was the same Sasori who always insisted on Sakura riding with him and leaving with him, and sitting next to him at the counter. This wasn't the ghost of a dead Sasori Sakura feared above all other memories save one. No, Sakura didn't have to fear the memories anymore. That chapter of her nightmare was over. Sasori was reborn in a new world and he would be fine alongside her. He wouldn't die under her lips anymore, he wouldn't grow cold under her hands anymore.

Sakura kissed Sasori full on the mouth before the ghost memory could come back. Sasori wasn't dead this time, he was alive, and she wasn't mourning him anymore.

Sasori stiffened at first, taken aback by her forward action, but just as quickly he recovered and melted into the kiss, responding and angling into her, pulling her tighter and closer. He was very much alive. When they separated his eyes were dancing and his cheeks were flushed.

"My goddess," he breathed. "What has gotten into you? Oh I like it, don't get me wrong. You can kiss me whenever you feel like it, and even if you don't feel like it, you can kiss me anyway."

"I just wanted to know what that felt like," Sakura confessed, reaching out to trace his lips with the pads of her fingers. He kissed her digits reverently.

"I'm yours to tease and try on whenever you choose to do so."

Sakura smiled, moving away to cough a bit before sitting up. Sasori followed and eventually helped her by pulling her to her feet and latching her onto his arm. His hair was mussed and a mess around his face, but it was a lovely mess Sakura wanted to run her fingers through. He wasn't too much taller than her, and he was more than willing to lean into her touch, signing contently when her fingers played along his scalp. She pulled away to cough again.

"My allergies," she confessed, holding the back of her hand over her mouth in case she needed to cough again. Sasori frowned.

"As much as it pains me to say this, no more kissing for you. Let me find you a seat and fetch you some water. Your poor lungs are frail for this time of year."

She let him lead her to another alcove with a bench in the shade. He departed from her side for a few minutes and returned with a crystal glass of spring water she sipped gingerly at her leisure. While she drank, he whispered poetry into her ears and talked of how much he adored her and how lovely the garden was and the weather and he people who annoyed him and anything that came into his mind. They spent what felt like hours together. He was perfect, perfectly charming.

Sasori was making remarks about Pein that were less than flattering when he had to stop because of the tears he saw on her face. 

"Sakura, what is the matter? Are you ill?" His hands were there in an instant, cradling her face. She felt warm against his cool fingers.

"No," she whispered, closing her eyes. She loved the feel of his hands and the tears didn't subside. "No, I'm not alright. I'm dying and I need to leave because you're not real." He was stiff before her.

"Sakura… I don't understand." Sakura tried to breathe deeply once more, and just as she suspected, it was labored. 

"This world. This box car on the Tea Lion Express, it's tempting me to stay, to keep me from advancing, because the things I've wanted so badly are in here, with you."

She breathed deeply. Her lungs were only half filled, but it would be enough.

"'The water that stays stagnant grows rank and sick. We as human beings can't fall into contentment if we ever want to improve and succeed.' I said that once, and I need to say it to myself one more time, because if I don't I won't get another chance to." She held a hand in front of her mouth and coughed. "It's poison… in the flowers from the trees. I thought it was allergies, I wanted to pretend it was nothing, but I know poison when it's in me. I close my eyes and I can see it, choking my blood. If I don't leave soon, I will die.

Sasori didn't move, but that was probably because of the slender blade running through his chest. Sakura tried to breath deeper, and coughed again before pulling her sword free. The shapeshifter that had been impersonating Sasori hissed, dissolving into a wrinkled thing that could bother her no longer. Sakura wiped her nose and pretended to not care that she had run Sasori through with her sword- even if he was an imposter.

Sakura had figured it out a while back. It had been obvious enough for her to pick up and suspect before her kiss with Sasori confirmed it. Maybe he was just like her redhead, talked like him, acted like him, sounded like him, but that wasn't Sasori the actor.

The words from the tea came back to her.  _ Why would you ever want to leave?  _ And,  _ Feeling Lonely? _

Had this world been designed because of what happened with Karin and the jealousy Sakura felt? She knew, and said as much, that she wasn't ready for a relationship, but that didn't mean she wasn't lonely. She wanted someone, and seeing Karin find someone made that feeling of loneliness grow inside of Sakura. She loved Karin to death and was truly happy for her, but Sakura was human and felt envy before she could control it. This world was her penance.

"Damn," she said out loud, grabbing onto a thorn branch to pull herself up and hang off of.

One foot in front of the other, she made it across the car to the back where the greenhouse stood. The door to the end of the level wasn't locked. There were no more clues, and she knew all she had to do was push and she would be in the next car on the train.

"Sakura!" She turned and saw Pein jogging towards her. He looked near frantic and the desperation for her wasn't unnoticed. She didn't doubt he was another shapeshifter tasked with seducing her long enough to stay in the car.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, pushing against the glass and stepping into the light, tears still staining her scrunched up face.

* * *

_ "Something is eating away at me with splendid teeth." _

_ — Gwendolyn MacEwen, from "Memoirs of a Mad Cook," The Armies of the Moon _

_ (Macmillan, 1972) _


	2. The Darjeeling Sin

A great while ago, when the world was full of wonders...

**OBELISK:**

**Kingdom of Monsters**

* * *

### The Darjeeling Sin

"Where I tread, I trample corpses,  
In my brain, poison thoughts do flow,

With fierce grim eyes, I hurl torches,  
Now kneel, worm—pray! Or melt in my mad glow!"

-Friedrich Nietzsche,  
After a Nocturnal Thunderstorm

* * *

In the days that followed, Sakura drank rose tea and cut down Green Men with fire they couldn't grow back from.

Scottish Morning tea pit her against hungry, black kelpie that thundered down the marshy box car straight into her blade.

Earl Gray took her to a misty cobblestone crossroads where black dogs chased her with hell in their eyes until Sakura cut them out.

Cinnamon spice summoned an Assyrian sphinx to pin her down with riddles until there was one she couldn't answer, forcing Sakura to cut down the winged creature with her blade.

Sweet Georgia peach tea on ice led her to a sprawling white plantation where poltergeists and ghosts haunted her right out into the Spanish Moss and weeping willows, until she found the exit under the swamp's grime.

She didn't meet any more actors until the next week when she went to sleep, after a long day of number crunching in four different offices.

She was too tired to care as the world meant for rest wove itself into one that existed only for her elimination. Sakura knew before even opening her eyes, that this world inside the boxcar was larger than the other. Much larger. Her eyes widened, trying to take in all the wild colors and details and smells assaulted her senses.

It looked like India, but there were men in waistcoats walking arm and arm with ladies and their parasols. Other ladies passed by with woven baskets balanced atop their heads while colorful sari flapped about their ankles. Whether this meant Sakura was in the time period of the British Raj or the century before that, when the East India Trading Company held major sway, didn't matter.

Much like the woman in the street, Sakura was dressed in a brilliantly colored emerald and gold trimmed sari that let a blushed row of flesh just above her navel exposed. A beaded shawl in the same color rested atop her hair, hiding it's short length.

She looked down at the tea on her tiny table and lifted it to her lips. Darjeeling tea, of course.

Along the rightmost wall were two other skinny tables with one customer at each. As Sakura drank her tea, she glanced out at the two males and noticed one was just finishing his tea, looking thoughtfully out the window, while the other read his British paper.

Sakura felt a pull and recognized the first boy as an actor. He was dark skinned with darker eyes and a head wrapped in cloth. The sleeves of his Kafka were decorated, so he didn't look poor, but he seemed lost in thought or weary for someone so young. She could see the curves of youth in his face, but also the lines of adulthood pressing through his skin. Based on what she could see of his bone structure, in a year or two's time, he would be quite impressive to look at. He was around her age, maybe younger, but his eyes were old.

Whatever this world had in store for her, it would look different with an actor in the midst, especially since this was an actor she had never met before. Reaching up, she felt the twist in her hair where the jade dragon still rested. No matter what change she and her wardrobe went through, the jade dragon stayed. She took the hint after the second night and made sure to keep it safe, lest it be important for something in the future.

The boy with the pretty black eyes stood, dropping a coin distractedly next to his tea. Sakura did the same, standing to follow him. The middle of the street, dusty, dirty, and crowded with people, was a challenge to navigate while keeping the boy in sight. Some sort of luck was on her side, though, since the boy was easily distracted by shiny things and slow going. He stopped too often for Sakura to lose him for long.

When Sakura had to actually stop it was because he was planted outside a stall where dazzling things were sold as gifts and trinkets. He touched a few crystal beads with the tip of his middle finger, watching as they reflected the light before straightening up and moving onto another merchant stall that sold sweet things and candy. There were tiny wooden sticks with rock crystals in different colors stuck to the length that he bought in a plain, brown paper bag. He took one out and tasted it, letting it dangle from his lips without the use of his hands.

Rock candy; Sakura recognized the treat from her own childhood. Before she ate too much of it and got sick of the taste, it used to be one of her favorite candies. The fact that they were sold in nearly every mom and pop general store around her area only added to her childhood obsession with the candy. (The fact that it didn't fit in such a setting was chalked up to 'it's just a dream' and she moved on.)

"If you want one for yourself I'll give you one." He didn't look at her, but there was no doubt that his comment was meant for her. It was enough to make her stiffen.

"I have my own," Sakura replied, conjuring one out of thin air to dangle between her fingers before swirling it around to land on her lips. She tasted cherries. The boy straightened and turned to stare at her. His eyes were all the more ancient as she saw herself reflected there. 

"I am Omoi," he spoke.

"My name is Sakura." Sakura touched her collarbone. He sucked on his rock candy, but didn't remove it from his mouth when he went on to speak, his eyes never leaving her figure.

"Why were you following me?"

"Should I not?"

"Do you not know where I am going?"

Sakura shook her head. "I just had the impression that I must follow you. Where is it that you are going to make you so cautious?"

Without speaking, the boy straightened and turned, heading further into the market, still facing the direction of the back of the car, where Sakura was sure she needed to head towards. The stalls thinned out and the dust got dirtier as more and more of the earth was revealed to Sakura's eyes. There was a dirt road that winded through rural hills that the boy named Omoi followed.

On the side of the road, farther away from the bulk of the stalls and merchants, a woman sat on a woven carpet with a dirty sack beside her. Omoi stopped and held out his bag of rock candy. The blind woman turned her face up and smelled deep. When she grinned, there weren't enough teeth for her mouth. She grabbed her sack and shoved it at the boy with one hand while clawing for the candy with the other.

Omoi looked inside the sack, no emotion on his face, but murmured a word of thanks before catching Sakura's eye and continuing onwards. Sakura took this as her cue to follow him.

By the time he rounded another hill, Sakura was by his side and impossible to ignore. He was still sucking on the last bit of his rock candy while Sakura had finished hers long ago. Without a word, he thrust the sack at her and Sakura reeled at the smell of it.

"Ugh, what died?" she gagged.

"Cats. Six of them. That is what the Naga eats. Is this not the reason you follow me, Sakura?"

She couldn't help the shudder when she recognized the word. Naga were monsters from Hindu mythology that had the head and torso of a human and the lower body of a snake. They were half snake people that devoured the unholy or something like that, depending on the text you look them up in. Still, they were snakes and snakes always reminded Sakura of Orochimaru and the great serpent that was at the heart of the curse.

"What are you going to do with the cats, feed them to it? Is that how you appease the creature?"

Omoi glanced at her from the side of his eyes. "You… did not know this. The others of this land know I have the foul hand that carries the Naga her dinner. I thought that was your reason for approaching me."

"Maybe," Sakura mused out loud. "But it's like I said, I just got this feeling and I followed it. That probably means I have to kill the Naga. That's my profession as of late; monster slayer."

"Many have tried, none have succeeded so far. Brave warriors have marched out and men with gnus followed, but neither returned, and soon the men stopped being brave and decided to be smart. To pay a tax to the monster, we have bought a peace where no more brave men need die a pointless death." There was something haunted in the boy's eyes when he spoke, and Sakura didn't doubt he had been personally affected by the Naga monster. Had this male lost a brother, a friend, a father to the monster? Her tone was light when she spoke, all air and confidence.

"I haven't tried though. Has there ever been someone like me go after it before?" She swirled a bit, her skirts flaring around her ankles and catching the light of the sun. She watched him watch her. When Omoi shook his head Sakura chuckled. "See, it's good enough for me. I won't lose. I've come too far to not make it through one measly gate."

"You do not sound afraid." Omoi stopped walking, so Sakura paused on the road, just a foot ahead of him. "Is there no one who will stop you from this recklessness? Your family will mourn."

"I have no family in this world," she answered easily enough. It was true, and even in the outside world, her mother was hardly family to speak of. Friends were always family to Sakura, and she couldn't take any of them into the dream world with her.

"There will be someone who will miss you," Omoi said, frowning. "A man at least. You're too lovely to not have one to desire you." Her casualness turned sharp and her eyes narrowed.

"And what would you know of desire, Omoi? Not even a lover for me exists in this world, only an objective." Something like fear furrowed the boy's brow.

"The snake will kill you. Go back, do not be foolish. This is no game for pretty girls who want excitement."

"Obviously. This isn't what I would do for fun if it were up to me, but I have to follow this direction in my heart, and it's telling me I have to kill that thing, like I've killed so many things in the past. You really have no excuse to warn me, you don't even know me. What does it matter to you if I live or die?"

"…Nothing."

Sakura shrugged, turning back to face the direction they had been heading in and taking another step.

"But you talk to me!" Sakura stopped and turned to look back. Omoi was staring up at her from his spot at the base of the hill. "You're not someone worth dying if you are so kind as to talk to a person like me. I want to learn more about you, to know you better. Won't you stay? I will make a place for you. There are people who-"

"I don't need any of that. I don't breathe for any other purpose in this world than to pass through it as quickly as possible and advance onto the next world, whatever it may be. My purpose in this life is to slay monsters. Don't try to stop me, kid."

The frustration in his eyes wouldn't go away. 

"You're doing this because of a… because your heart tells you this, because you had a feeling you made these decisions, but what if my heart tells me something too? What if I want to stop you?"

"You don't have a reason to," Sakura sighed, knowing where this was coming from. It hit fast, but poor Omoi was falling towards her like a magnet to metal. As the dreamer, this was bound to happen when she encountered actors. His feelings weren't real, this world wasn't real, nothing she experienced was worth believing to be real.

(But Sasori had been real-right?)

Sighing, Sakura turned on her heel and headed off in the direction of the end of the car, knowing it wouldn't be too difficult to find this Naga creature and cut her way through. She was getting better with the sword and every night and every battle made her stronger. It was gradual growth, but she could feel the difference in how she held a weapon. One day she might be as good as Kisame was in her dreams.

"Please do not go," Omoi came up beside her, the sack of dead cats still limp in his free hand. When he walked parallel with her, she saw that their heights were pretty much even. He was young, but he would grow and be bigger than her one day, if actors aged.

"Give me the sack and I'll do it for you." She held out her hand, waiting for the object. Omoi refused, shaking his head sharply. 

"This is for me to do. You should go back." There was firmness in his lips as he pressed them into a thin line. They were nearly chapped, but didn't chap under pressure. It was hot and arid so far from the market, and Sakura wondered if they would reach the end of the car soon. This was the longest one by far.

"Why is this your job?" Sakura finally asked, pointing to the sack of dead cats with the back of her knuckles, pretending to wrap it. "Who decided you would be the one to feed the monster?"

"The last boy to feed the monster was my elder brother, but he was consumed with sickness and died. I was never destitute thanks to the efforts of my brother, but after his passing I came into the role and learned for myself the true weight of this occupation, in spite of it's benefits. My body no longer starves, but…"

He closed his eyes and Sakura felt he was fighting himself, catching himself, keeping himself silent before he complained. He wasn't the type of person to lament his lack of companionship. How lonely. Would that loneliness remain after Sakura graduated on to the next Kingdom?

'Don't think about it.'

"It sounds like the Naga has been around for a while. Do you remember a time before it appeared? What did you do for fun?"

He frowned, thinking over her question while slowing his steps. Sakura made an effort to match his pace. "I… drink tea and listen to people talk in the market when they don't know I'm listening. There are books too, sometimes they come through with the merchants from the East. I can read most of them."

"Reading is fun," Sakura awkwardly replied, scanning the surrounding land for any sign of the cave where they needed to drop off the cats.

They had been walking for so long, something should have shown up by now. The feeling was all wrong. The end seemed farther away than before, if anything. Sakura stopped short, turning on her heel to face the boy named Omoi.

"Where are you going? This isn't the way to the caves, is it?"

Her eyes hardened when she recognized the panic in his own. Before he could lie, the truth was out there between them. Was he working in league with the snake creature? Did he not want it dead because of his position in the village? Did he have his own agenda Sakura didn't know about?

Sakura dreamed up a bone sword to hold steady between them, should he turn into a monster himself. For what it was worth, Omoi looked genuinely hurt that she would brandish her sword against him.

"Please don't," he pleaded, eyes sincere.

"How do I know you're not trying to kill me? Someone is always trying to kill me." Her voice was flat but by the end there was a hint of sarcastic bite. There was _always_ someone trying to kill her.

"I'm trying to save you, you don't understand the risk! If I took you to the cave, she'd kill you just for looking upon her face. You can't kill her."

"You have no idea what I can do. Who are you to judge my abilities and deem me unfit?"

"I'm the filthy one no one will touch, and the only one to lay eyes on the Naga and live to speak of it. You will die. That is not a belief, it is a promise!"

Sakura cursed, realizing she'd have to find this world's monster on her own, without the actor's help. Following had been a waste of time. She withdrew her blade and turned away from him, trying to get a fix on where the exit might be. Everything was so big and far away it could take days to reach all the corners.

Sakura flinched, feeling something by her ankles. She jerked to the side and looked down to see a black and brown striped cat at her feet. A second pranced over, wobbling a bit. She opened her mouth to chase it away when the cat at her feet looked up and Sakura noticed the hole in its face where an eye should have been. There was a shiny, red river across the face and Sakura smelled the stink of death from it.

She turned to Omoi who held the empty sack in one hand and a crushed lotus blossom in the other. A circle of dead cats surrounded Sakura, hemming her in lest she be assaulted by the deceased animals. Her eyes were round and didn't miss anything when they were watching the brown eyed boy. Omoi looked wounded as he raised the crushed lotus to his lips. 

"I'm sorry, this is for your good. You will be safe." He blew and the air fell heavy around her. Sakura choked and her knees gave out first. The air in her nostrils was too thick and too sweet and too heavy to breath all the way in. She was light and then she was gone, poppies blooming behind her eyes. Through their petals she could see the outline of a face with few features. Omoi's eyes were a blur, but the sharp angles of his downward smile were clear enough.

_The little shit!_

The poppies bloomed larger.

Sakura dreamed of nothing else until she woke.

* * *

Sakura had made it a point to visit the Orchard early on the days she had to go, and genuinely liked the girls who worked the counters. Becky especially made it a game of sorts to see what it would take to make Sakura uncomfortable with all her lesbian jokes, and often it was Tyra who had to swoop in and save Sakura from distraction as well as Genma's whining. The only male on shift loved to whine about how no one paid him any attention or tried to make him squirm with dirty lesbian jokes, but no one bothered to act like they heard him when he whined so childishly.

One of the other companies Sakura did statements for asked her especially to come in first because of an issue, and Sakura ended up spending more hours than intended trying to undo a charge one of the newer secretaries entered into the wrong system. By the time she was done, she had to visit the auto shop because they had specific times they preferred seeing her there and what ended up happening was that Sakura didn't make it to the Orchard till late into the afternoon, and by the time she walked in through the front she was already tired. Numbers and data were fine, people were exhausting.

Without asking, Tyra pulled a scone from behind the window of the display case, not minding that it was one of the last for the day. 'It'll go stale soon anyway,' she said with a shrug, pretending not to care.

"You're late. What held you up?" Becky asked, twirling a curl of platinum blond. There was a boy on the other side of the room that wouldn't stop staring at her chest and she was doing her best to show off her curves, knowing he would never be brave enough to talk to her.

"People are stupid." Sakura folded two dollars and stuffed them into the tip jar.

"Just learning that now? And here I thought you were too young to be so cynical."

"Take your time, eat your food first," Tyra insisted, wiping down the counter where Sakura liked to sit. She ate in nibbles, savoring the seconds lost in a warm pastry. When she was done, she threw away the wrapper, thanked Tyra, and headed back into the office where a stack of envelopes with the daily register reports was waiting for her.

She was halfway done with the stack for Orchard when Genma decided to stick his head in. Sakura barely registered his presence, hoping he would float away.

"You look like someone who got up on the wrong side of the bed."

"I slept on the couch, what do you want, Genma?" Sakura asked, never looking away from her computer screen as she attempted to reenter the same register report for the third time before deciding to close the whole window and start all over with a fresh sheet. Her frustrations were all boiling over into one another, and so late in the day it was hard to separate them any more.

"Ouch, who pissed you off?" Ignoring her steely tone, Genma took a seat on the end of her desk, grinning out of the side of his mouth while twirling a toothpick with his tongue. "Kinda hot, but I'm not looking, remember?"

"I'm trying to concentrate and finish this week's report and it's taking longer than it should. If you need my help with anything else, please come back and see me when I'm not so busy."

"I- oh, okay, I know I sound like I'm joking but I'm really not." He scooted off the desk and stood behind her. "The girls said they thought you looked extra tired and I agree. When was the last time you got a good night's sleep?"

Sakura couldn't help it, she laughed out loud, nearly snorting with the suddenness of her bitter mirth. Genma didn't appear amused when she finally turned to look over at him. 

"It's funny," she admitted with a shrug, trying to play it off. "Don't look so serious. You're always the one joking around."

"Only when there's something funny going on," Genma pouted. "You're making fun of me. That'll teach me to try and be nice to the manic accountant lady who eats my scones."

The register report finally added up, and Sakura highlighted the sheet in front of her before turning it over and laying it atop her 'finished' pile next to the computer. All she had left to do was print a report and pay a few bills. 

"Sorry, I'm still having a bad day, and I haven't had a good sleep for as long as I can remember, it seems. Don't read too deeply into that, I just don't find sleeping to be as resting as it used to be."

"Ami told me about your meltdown earlier this year."

Sakura froze over the papers she was unfolding from the utilities folder alongside the desk. When she looked up, Genma wasn't meeting her eyes.

"She didn't mean to, but it was right after it happened and she was less than sober down at Root, not exactly drunk, but… it's Ami." When Sakura continued to stare Genma went on. "I was on shift that time, and I remember her crying and making a mess all over the other customers. She's a VIP so we watch out for her, and have a room ready if she needs it. I had to drag her back there and she was less messy when she talked about what she worried about."

"And what did she say?" Sakura hated how frozen her words seemed. She was speaking icicles and snow banks and blizzards.

"She was afraid of being alone again, she was afraid that she did something to make her friend sad. A lot of it was self centered. She thought she was somehow at fault and that she couldn't lose everything again." He was looking at his hands while he spoke. "But she was fine in the morning. Didn't remember a thing."

Sakura swallowed, folding up the credit cards and putting them back in the folder. They had another thirteen days before the money was due, she could pay them next week. Sakura pulled up a profit and loss statement and a sales summary and printed both without saying a word. The air was stale between them before the green eyed girl decided to break it.

"Grab me those two sheets."

"Sure, here you go."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Sakura stapled the two papers together and dropped them in a folder. She closed out of quickbooks and set the computer into hibernate mode. No one else would need it until much later. Genma was watching her feet, but would raise his eyes to her face, lest he meet them.

Sakura remembered Ami talking about the few times she had to rent an overnight VIP room and how the staff treated her well because of her family. It wasn't a stretch to assume what Ami let slip once was information about Sakura. But then Sakura remembered something.

"Who else heard it?" Genma looked up, startled.

"What?"

"It's a safety thing, so the staff don't assault the clients. It's law and you are all good about following it. No one staff member may be alone with the client at a time. Who was the other person there in the room with you when Ami said all this?"

"The other guy…?" He looked guilty. "That was Yamato."

Sakura was picking up her purse and turned the ringer of her phone on, slipping it inside. She adjusted the strap and flattened down the unruly curls of her hair before standing up and leaving. Genma didn't move, and when she passed him he almost flinched, like he was expecting some eruption from her. Whatever he expected of her; it wasn't his place to receive anything from her, no explanation, no clarification, no denial. Still, she stopped at the door, one foot out.

"Genma."

"Yeah?" he looked up. Her voice had been light.

"Go screw a blender."

And she was gone.

* * *

Sakura woke up to a wall of gauze curtains and plush pillows. She had been placed in the center of a circular bed that was low to the ground and large enough for three or four people. The fabric under her hands felt soft and cool to the touch, even though she could sense the heat buzzing outside her canopy.

Looking down, her clothes from yesterday were gone and in their place was another sari that was much lovelier, with heavy trimmings of beadwork and ornamentation. Gold and red with pearl accents, she felt like a Bollywood princess. Her hands were done in henna and her hair pulled under a veil. Something gold looped from her left ear to her nostril. She felt the hard gold and surmised it must have been a hoop nose ring.

She was dressed like royalty, but something was off.

Sakura pulled herself together to stand and felt a tug at her ankle. Whatever it was, it was heavy. She pulled back the ends of her heavy skirt and saw a solid gold cuff on her left ankle, connected to an equally gold chain that slithered under the pillows and disappeared into the wall. Sakura reached down and tugged on the chain, pulling until it went taunt. She tugged again and the bolt in the wall protested, refusing to give. Sakura was chained to the wall.

"Shit," she hissed, dropping the chain and backing away as far as she could. Beyond the gauze around her bed there was a wide, open room with candles burning and smoke from spices set on fire, but no people.

Sakura closed her eyes and imagined her sword, but then thought better of it, and dreamed up a battle ax. When she opened her eyes, her arms were weighed down. She felt her biceps protest as she heaved the giant ax over her head and brought it down onto her gold ankle chain with a shout. The ax chirped, bouncing off the metal and cutting into the floor, tearing through sheets. The chain didn't even look nicked.

'Maybe it was too big.'

Sakura dreamed up a smaller ax and swung again. When that didn't work she thought of a saw, a file, a knife, and a broadsword, but the gold would not be broken.

"That doesn't make sense. Gold isn't that strong," she whined out loud.

Before she could try something more, a door to the outside opened beyond the gauze curtain. Sakura saw a shape that was male, but not so boxy that he was old. Sakura made sure she wasn't smiling when Omoi pulled back the curtain to see her.

"It's enchanted. That's why you won't be able to break it," he said, nodding to the small knife she held in her hand, chipped and broken. His eyes traveled from her hand to the rest of her and Sakura narrowed her eyes when he looked at them.

"What did you do to me? Why am I here?" she bit out.

"This is my home. No one will bother you here. They dare not enter without my instruction, and none dare trespass. You will be safe here."

"That's not what I wanted, Omoi. I told you what I was after and you tricked me, kidnapped me, and trapped me here."

"You would have died. I had to protect you, and there was no other way. I… I was afraid you'd wake up and leave to go back and try and kill the Naga."

"That's exactly what I would have done!"

"She can't be killed."

Sakura strained against the chains, stopping inches from his face, forcing him to take a step back, away from the gauzy curtain where flakes of light were caught to sparkle in the twilight. 

"You keep saying that, and I keep telling you the same thing, but you just won't believe me. There has to be another reason you're doing this." Sakura tugged on the chain for emphasis. "Tell me!"

"You're the only one who would talk to me without disgust, so-"

"Not that reason, your real reason," Sakura growled. "I've been screwed with for so long I can tell when an actor's lying to me, at least! You're hiding something from me, Omoi. Tell me what it is, or so help me you'll regret the day you tricked me."

He looked away, but didn't step away. He was dressed well, and his turban was accented with a feathered, gold and pearl brooch that connected to a unpolished pearl band that circled around the black fabric. It was decorative, but Sakura didn't miss how it matched the pearls of her own dress.

"It was my brother who came into the world first. Abandoned in the dirt, the people of this village elected a woman who would care for him until he was old enough to act as the errand boy for the Naga who lived on the outskirts of town. The Naga was seen as a messenger from the heavens, sent to punish us for our sins. Only her direct offspring could go before her and live to see another day."

Sakura felt her body take a half step back as the pieces of his story began to come together. The chain made a small noise, but no one noticed.

"He, my brother, worked well as the go between before… a… er, however it happened, she gave birth to me next, and my brother cared for me until he died. I took up his role as the one who took the offerings to my mother when no one else could. That's also how I'm able to use magic like the lotus blossoms and the enchanted metals. It's not a lot, but…" Omoi looked up. "She's a monster, but she is my mother. I don't want her to kill you any more than I want her to die. Please stay here with me, I've been so lonely for someone else to talk to."

"Omoi, you've chained me."

"I'll remove them if you promise to stay."

"I won't promise you that. I'm a free person and I deserve to go and do as I please. This isn't sweet, this is frightening," Sakura snapped back, shaking her ankle with the chain clasped tight. The sound made the boy flinch.

"Told you," a new voice sang.

Omoi and Sakura both turned to see a new figure standing in the doorway to the room. It was a woman, dressed in a tan and orange sari with dark skin and full, curving lips. Her amber eyes flashed with hubris.

"Karui." Omoi sounded apathetic and partly annoyed with the arrival of the new female. "Who told you to come here?"

"Doesn't matter now, I've already forgotten what I was supposed to do here. I didn't know you kept pets, Omoi… And here I thought you were such a straight arrow."

The girl took a step forward, and the golden beads that dangled from her earlobes caught the light. She stopped only a few steps into the room, not close enough to carry on an even conversation, but close enough to feel like she was talking down to Omoi when she eventually opened her mouth again.

"She's pretty, so it looks like you have some taste after all. I was beginning to wonder if you had any at all when you said what you did about me."

"Don't act so flattered, you're still flat as a board and reek of rotten personality."

The girl snarled before making a gesture with her hand that resembled a curse. "Brat, talk like that again and I'll have Samui skin you a new hide!"

"You forget yourself, woman. I'm the necessary one here. You are replaceable, act like it."

The snarl on the woman's lips didn't falter, but she switched her amber eyes from Omoi to Sakura and they seemed to lessen in severity. Sakura felt at once that this woman was another actor. Maybe she wasn't as important as Omoi, but she was like the others in the sense that Sakura felt like the girl was more alive than the others. Something dead, cursed, and trapped inside a dream for all of eternity; that's what the girl felt like. Sakura thought it was funny how that was what she considered 'alive.'

"Samui said you need to take the sacrifice again. The last one didn't last as long as we would have liked. You'll leave in a few hours." With a dismissive huff, the girl with amber eyes turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Sakura waited a heartbeat before asking her question. 

"Who was she?"

"Karui, she's not someone you should be concerned with, other than she is one of the few who will come and go as she pleases on my lands." Omoi reached into a fold in his clothes and pulled out a stick of rock candy to suck on before saying more. "She lives to torment me." Sakura glared at Omoi out of the corner of her eye.

"She at least talks to you."

"That was the first in months. I suspect she only came to see you. News must have spread faster than anticipated, too many of the servants saw me take you back, they're horrible gossips."

Sakura tugged on her chain again and watched Omoi's eyes dark to her ankle in reaction. He then looked up and Sakura caught him with her eyes. He was frozen under her gaze, unable to look away.

"Omoi, you won't leave me here chained to your wall like a criminal. I'm not going to make you any promises, so let me go, or so help me I'll bring the walls down."

Ignoring her frustration he pulled something out of his pocket and crushed it. Sakura cursed when she saw petals fall out from between his fingers. He looked almost guilty as the pieces caught on fire and burned up into smoke that snaked towards her, catching her breath and devouring her senses. Sakura felt weak all of a sudden.

"That won't work… on me again… like before," she struggled to say, but she knew she was lying. It was hard to stay standing. He waved his fingers, brushing off the excess of flower as if it were dirt on his fingers. 

"Maybe not as well, but it will be enough until I am back." Sakura fell to her knees with a growl of frustration. He knelt down beside her to cup the side of her face. She glared when he touched her. "You are resilient," Omoi breathed.

Sakura fell down into the sheets of her bed, feeling light and heavy all at once, but this time there were no poppies blooming behind her eyes. This time, she managed to stay awake. Not fully, but her eyes could stay open for most of the time and she was aware of her surroundings.

She wasn't invulnerable, Sakura knew she had limits and weaknesses she had to compensate for, but this was one thing she knew she could do. Poison was a woman's weapon, and she wouldn't be its victims more than twice. She was building up a tolerance, and the next time he tried to drug her with flowers, it wouldn't do him any good. Already she could feel her bones, and moving her arms was possible. Everything was still heavy, but she could manage if she needed to move all of a sudden. To test her limits, she stretched everything she could and the chain under her ankle jingled.

"What was the point in him drugging me anyway, if he wasn't going to unchain me?" she asked out loud, not once slurring her words.

Sakura turned over, rolling onto her back and lifted her chained leg vertical in the air, before bending it down so that her hands could reach the clasp. There was a keyhole her fingers could dip into, but it was thin and oddly shaped. She doubted there was any other way to free herself and nearly growled out loud at the prospect.

There was sunlight on the far side of whatever building Sakura was trapped inside of, casting long shadows over the sills. Twisting, Sakura turned towards the edge of the bed and crawled off, brushing the gauze aside. Her body sounded like a wind chime with all the jewels and encrusted trimmings. The shawl that draped over her shoulder slipped free and she let it fall with a dull thud at her feet.

The cutout for the window was open and wide enough for Sakura to sit in like a bench. She thought the cutout was more Moroccan style than anything, but didn't pay it much mind as the view outside captured the majority of her attention.

Being so high up, Sakura saw that they were far from the teashop she first woke up in. She could see the market in the far off distances, where the limits and the boundaries of the boxcar on the Tealion express were actually evident. Once the market ended, the walls with the windows to the two outside worlds edged away until they were so far, Sakura doubted she could walk the whole distance in one dream cycle. Each car on the train had grown progressively larger with each new level, but this world was the largest by far.

Sakura looked down and saw she was in a simple structure with a rural garden boasting palm trees and bird of paradise flowers in the rarest reds. There was a fountain rising out of a small pool, where a white peacock strutted around in leisure. Sakura wasn't surprised. Omoi seemed like the sort of actor who dominated his world in one way or the other. He lived in a palace, and it made sense. Even if people avoided him, he was the reason they were all alive.

She heard the door open behind her but didn't turn to address the only person it could be. 

"I didn't expect you back so soon. That girl said a few hours."

Sakura turned to glare at Omoi but froze, seeing a new stranger standing where she had expected the dark skinned boy. The figure in her room was also dark skinned, but his body was covered in blue tattoos and his eyes were black where they should have been white, and white where they should have been black. He wore no shirt, only a vest, loose pants and gauntlets that sported two curved blades each. His teeth were filed to points and his ears were thin and long.

"You are not Omoi." Sakura shifted off of the window sill, taking note of where her chain was on the floor.

When it spoke, it sounded like something ground between two stones. "You are a hindrance to the boy. You will be eliminated, so as to not distract further the snake-cut from his duties."

Sakura drew her bone handle sword out of thin air and met the blades on his gauntlet with one swing. When he tried with his other arm, Sakura caught him by the wrist and held him before her foot found his chest. When he stumbled back, Sakura felt her body take over and swing her sword around into an arch that cut through one of his wrists. The stump that was his hand fell with a wet thud and a short deluge of black blood. It howled and Sakura winced at the sound it made; it sounded like a landslide.

It moved faster, trying to catch her face with it's last free hand, and managed to knock her back far enough to throw her off balance. Her blade caught his, but not before a thin wound opened up across her chest, right above her breasts-through the fabric of her sari. If it weren't for the heavy lining of jewels and detail, the wound might have been worse. Tiny glass beads fell to the floor and rolled through her lost blood.

She threw an end table at him, and it broke apart on impact. She moved back, and the gold chain followed her. She contemplated raising her leg and pulling on the chain to trip him with the length of it, but didn't think that wise when she considered all the other things that could go wrong. She retreated again and he followed.

He swung again, but Sakura was on her feet, and with a few short moves, she had her elbow up and her blade gut deep in blue tattooed flesh. The creature cried as the scriptures across his body flashed a neon shade of blue and then flickered out with the rest of his life. When he collapsed, he collapsed into blue sand and ash.

Not bothering to take care of her sword, Sakura dropped it with a clattering thud down beside her and sank to her knees beside the severed hand of the daemon she just fought. She checked the scar across her chest and winced at the sore places that were red with more than just blood. His blades had been coated with something, but it was infecting her surrounding skin.

"It won't kill me," Sakura hissed, squeezing her eyes shut and willing it to be so.

When she looked up again, she saw the gauntlet with the blade ends still attached. She reached out and plucked it up, careful not to cut herself on it. Something like poison dripped from it and it landed on a link of the gold chain with a hiss. Struck with an idea, Sakura used the daemon's blade to saw through the links on her chain, and it started to work. It was slow, frustrating work and she was starting to feel dizzy.

Closing her eyes, she could feel the details of her dream body and passed her senses out over her systems. There was a snake in her blood.

"Of course," she hissed. "It wouldn't be the dream world if there wasn't a snake somewhere trying to kill me. Always trying to kill me…" Sakura growled, opening her eyes and gripping the blade tighter before smashing it down on the last remnants of the chain link. Upon impact it broke apart. With a snap, the enchantment died as well, turning the gold chain back to dull gray, making it nothing more than mortal metal.

There was blood on her hands, but not enough to concern her. There would always be blood on her hands.

She tore her sari a new slit up the side and grabbed the gauze of her bed's canopy to help her stand. The first step was scary, but the others came easier. Before she knew it, she was walking fine. The door wasn't locked, and she was able to walk out into the hallway without trouble. The hallways were open, showing off the exposed middle of the home where another miniature garden with peacocks gathered. Sakura leaned over the railing, peering down at the sight before spotting a place that looked like it would lead to the outside.

Hayate was leaning up against the stone stairs when she turned the corner to descend.

"I didn't call for you," Sakura snapped, feeling hostile towards Sai's replacement. No one could replace Sai.

He coughed before answering her. "I'm not for you to call. I am not a dog you can summon with a word. I come and go as I please, for the pleasure of the game."

"What do you want then?" she asked, glancing sideways at the doorway.

"Mah, you should be thankful I came at all. You're not utilizing the narrative, and as a result you've wasted too much time in this car. The longer you stay, the more enemies you will face." Sakura fisted her bleeding hand, dripping more blood onto the stone steps.

"How do I get out of here, then? Do I really have to kill that kid's mom? Will you tell me that much?"

"No, that is for you to discover. I'm here to warn you. You have another day before a new enemy is added to the game. Don't say no one ever gave you any advice."

"Advice?" Sakura snarled. "What advice have you ever given me?!" Hayate coughed once more into his hand before pushing off the wall and turning to leave.

"Utilize the narrative whenever there is one. The actors are here for a reason. They are tools, use them."

Sakura didn't try to stop him when he walked away, but watched him as he took the steps one at a time until he was out of sight. Even after he was gone, Sakura stayed on her step, staring up the stairs, thinking. If it had been Sai, he would have told her something like the actors all loved her, and they would help her, and he believed in her, and she could do it. He would tell her she needed to take the Omoi boy and convince him to show her the end of their known world, regardless of whether it was in his mother's den or not, and find the door to the next world.

Omoi was an actor. Actors were the tools of the dreamer, there to aid the next cursed dreamer avoid their own fate. Sai once told Sakura how the curse was purposefully designed to weaken over time, with more and more allies accumulating to aid whoever was cursed next. The unforeseen downside to this curse was that there were so many actors whose spirits had diminished with the eternity of limbo, that not many could materialize in corporal form for the dreamer anymore. The first Egyptian slaves were nearly eradicated from the curse, as were the Assyrians and Babylonian warriors. Maybe there was a stray Hittite warrior caught in the land between kingdom and gate, but it would be hard to tell at this rate.

Sakura turned and sat down on the stone step, dropping her head into her hands while her elbows rested atop her knees. Omoi was a new actor. She had never seen him before, and she had no idea what sort of character he was, aside from what little she had seen of him. In this world he was lonely, he was quiet too. There wasn't a lot there on the surface for her to see, but he reminded her of a quieter Kiba, even though he didn't appear younger than her. There was a stunted childishness to him.

From behind, Sakura heard movement and turned to look up the stairs. Someone had come up the back way and was already on the second level. There was a door opening and then more movement, then Sakura heard shouting. Before she could doubt who it was, his voice rang out loud.

"Sakura!" The sound was frantic and thick with panic as the boy tore her room apart, searching for her body. Had he seen the blue dust and known what it meant? Had he feared this at all when he left her chained to the wall? When did he begin to rush for her? When did he begin to panic? Sakura heard him call her name once more.

She turned and headed back up the stairs, thoughts of escape pushed aside. This was what she needed to do. Omoi was an actor. He was a tool for her to use. She needed to be active in the story. She needed to do something if she ever wanted to see the end of this train.

Omoi was a palpitating mess over the blood on the floor that lay smeared next to her discarded shawl. Sakura winced. Even from the doorway, the scene looked misleading and she understood why Omoi would panic in such a way. She pushed the door open wider and the sound of it creaking on its hinges made him look up quickly, half ready to draw his short sword when he froze, petrified by the sight of her.

Sakura refused to be moved by the way his eyes lit up and his body relaxed into the leap he made for her. She refused to let her heart soften at the sound of her name being called so fearfully. She refused to be touched by the way he clung to her so desperately. She was not his lifeline, and he wasn't real. None of this was real. His feelings for her were fabricated. She wouldn't be moved.

"You're hurt!" he sounded scared of the long red line that ran across her breasts. Sakura grunted in acknowledgment.

"I tripped on that stupid chain of yours. You mind telling me just what you were thinking, locking me up like that when there were dangerous daemons with kill orders for the only girl you seem to like talking to? I could have died Omoi!"

"I know, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I will never-"

"You'll never get the chance again! Omoi, tell me what happened. Why was I being targeted? Normally I wouldn't ask, because I have enough enemies on my own, but it- he said it was because I was… you were doing something and I couldn't distract you or… I don't remember exactly what he said, but it had to do with _you_."

"It said that?"

"Did I stutter?" Sakura tisked, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth in frustration. She reminded herself of an adult who was naturally short with children. Omoi wasn't much better than a grade schooler. 

"It…it's all my fault. I shouldn't have done this to you. It was never my intention to involve you with this." He lowered his head, keeping his eyes downcast.

"I chose to involve myself in all of this." Sakura pushed Omoi away, and he didn't resist. With the newly created distance, Sakura set her hands over her hips and sighed. "I won't try to kill your mom or the Naga or whatever you call her, but I still need to leave this place, and I think the southmost lands are where I can find passage meant for me. You can't keep me from that."

"The south is the land ruled by the Christian lady from the England country. Beyond her lands are the wilds where Rakshasa live unbound by sorcery." Sakura resisted the urge to groan.

"Demon country… sounds like that's where I need to be. Nothing is ever easy, is it?"

"You don't _have_ to leave."

"I kind of do. That's not something I'm going to sit around debating. If I don't keep moving, I become stagnate, and once stagnate, I'm afraid I'll be consumed by what I can no longer overcome. Plus, there are people waiting for me in the other places of this world."

"I don't want you to leave."

"I've realized that by now," Sakura replied, eyeing the remains of her iron chains. "But that’s a silly feeling. You don't know who I am, and you're delusional with your belief in desiring me as a companion or anything else. It doesn't make sense that someone you met yesterday is someone you'd want so terribly you'd tie them up."

It was the dream making him fall for the dreamer, same as Kiba, same as Pein, same as Itachi. None of it was real. She didn't need to be guilty for her harsh words. None of them liked her for her.

"But you felt it too! You said so yourself when we met, that you felt connected to me, and that was my truth as well. The compass of my heart does not lie when the arrow points to you. I have existed without direction for so long, I know this must be true."

If she didn't fall asleep with a pounding headache, she was surely going to wake up with one. For whatever reason, his words made fire race under her cheeks and hammered her brain around inside her skull. His words weren't real. They were stolen, forged words that had no real weight. Sakura snarled, grabbing the short ends of her hair. 

"Oh my God, you're so cheesy and I need to wake up!" His hands found her face and Sakura didn't try to jerk away when he tilted her head back to see him. 

"You're crying. Why are you crying?" He sounded so genuine, and his eyes held no lies. Whatever he was, dream, damned soul, or figment of her crazed imagination, he wasn't dishonest in his belief of adoration. He truly seemed to care for her, and it hurt to admit.

Sakura pulled away and stumbled back towards the bed. The gauzy curtain was ripped and half pulled back when she passed under it. Falling to her knees first, Sakura reached out for a silk pillow, and wrapped herself around it, laying down on the sunken bed that smelled like spice and tea.

Closing her eyes, she waited for the dream to wrap up, for the scene to come to a close, and for her sleeping to end. There was a dip in the mattress behind her, and then she felt the cold of his shadow block out what was left of the sun in her window. She didn't move when he reached out to touch her, and she refused to react when he settled down next to her and pulled her flush against his chest, her back to him.

"I'm not wrong," he whispered into her short hair. His voice sounded like it could break if it ever became a physical thing.

"You're not real." Sakura felt wetness in her eyes.

* * *

Sakura was too tired to make anything more for herself than yogurt when she made it to the kitchen after eight AM. She should have been nearly ready to head out, but she felt extra tired and weighed somewhere deep in her bones. There was a heaviness she couldn't shake when she rolled back the covers and showered for the day.

"Want me to make you something?" Ami asked, coming into the kitchen with a magazine folded under her fingers and a frown on her lips. Her eyes narrowed distastefully at the dairy. Ami was unable to consume because of her mild intolerance.

"I actually don't have time." Sakura scooped out another dainty spoonful and held it in front of her lips. "This is more than enough for me."

"I remain unconvinced."

When Sakura glanced up at the younger girl she saw that Ami was still making a face and looked ready to complain about something. Sakura swallowed and wiped her lips with the inside of her wrist. 

"Is something the matter Ami? You look bothered."

For a moment Ami didn't say anything, but after a beat she leaned down to pull out a chair opposite Sakura's and sat down at the kitchen table. Her posture was something her parents would never let her get away with in front of them, but Sakura never minded. Ami's fingers dug at the hems of her cut off shorts.

"I got a text from Genma."

Sakura flinched, but repressed the scowl that tugged at the corners of her lips. She should have known this was going to come up, but she still hated how awkward it felt. From the look on her face, Ami looked sick about it and Sakura wondered if the other girl was waiting to get yelled at or chewed out. The way Ami hiked her shoulders and dug into the insides of her palms with her nails reminded Sakura of stress indicators she used to utilize herself. Damn Genma for making things difficult. 

"Don't worry about it. That doesn't matter to me."

"I didn't mean to!" Ami nearly stood up, but fell back into her seat before she could rise too far. "It was a mistake, and I didn't know I did it until it was too late, and I never would have said anything but-"

"Ami!" Sakura cut the girl off. She held up a hand, pale face up. "I get it, I'm not mad. You don't have to apologize. It's not that big of a deal in the first place. Sure, it's not my shining moment of glory, but I'm not going to lose sleep over something so petty. If people want to be weird about it, that's their prerogative. Don't stress out about it."

"Genma said you were pissed though."

"Yeah, cause he's a dick about it. We're not close, he isn't one of my privileged friends, and it wasn't his place to be discussing such issues with me during the time I was there to work. Even my friends like Juugo and Suigetsu don't know that I had an episode, so it wasn't something I wanted to hear about from _Genma_ of all people. On top of being a shameless flirt, he's such an attention whore." Sakura flinched, remembering that Ami and Genma were friends. Also, he was a decent enough guy to not take advantage of girls who passed out in his club like Ami. "No offense." Ami looked ready to cry with her hiked up shoulders, but she cracked a smile. 

"You're not human, Sakura."

The pink haired girl frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"You have every right in the world to be upset and angry, but you act like it doesn't hurt you at all. How do you get to be like that? I don't get it at all. I could never be so calm." Sakura dropped her spoon into the yogurt carton and let it roll around the edges before it settled in the corner.

"You're kind to say that, but I hide a lot of things well. I'm not calm at all, sometimes I feel ready to drive into oncoming traffic and never make it home. I've just learned to scream with my heart and not my mouth." Sakura smirked, trying for humor. "You think if I had things together, I would stress myself into a sleepwalking episode of amnesia all the way out to the road?"

Ami started to cry and Sakura cursed, standing up and rounding the table to kneel in front of the younger girl and hug her around the shoulders, whispering shushing sounds into Ami's hair. It was enough to calm the shy girl down to quiet crying with the occasional gasp for air.

"I'm making you late too," she choked out, holding a hand in front of her face to hide the way her nose ran and how blotchy and red her face got when she cried. Ami cursed when Sakura got up and reached for a tissue.

"Watch your language," Sakura chastised.

"Stop it," Ami choked out. "Don't be nice to me, I made a mistake!" Sakura slammed the edge of the table and Ami looked up, startled. 

"No, that's not how things work. Friends make mistakes all the time, and they work through them together. I'm not going to burn you alive because you want to feel justified for your shitty feelings. That's not how I do things. If you're upset, then cry about it and be honest about it. You haven't broken the sun and the days are still going to come, one right after another. Don't think you need someone to yell at you. There's never a justification for one human being to treat another so disrespectfully, and I'll never do that to you."

"I don't-" Ami choked on her tears again and Sakura got up to grab another tissue.

"Look," Sakura sighed. "You're my friend and you're more important to me than one mistake. If you think you need it, you're forgiven, but I think you're fine. I have to leave for work, but when I get back, we can have dinner together. If you're still feeling like you wanna do something about it, order some good Asian. We'll watch reruns of Star Trek or something."

Ami was still sniffling, so Sakura hesitated, hating to walk out on her friend like that. She pulled her purse off the wall and dug around inside for a minute before pulling out a lifesaver imitation candy that was shaped like a cat. She pushed the plastic wrapper into Ami's hand and then left, hoping that some things would be better once she got back.

That evening after work, when Sakura pulled into the driveway, she heard Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo hanging out on the porch where she couldn't see them. Sakura worried about Ami, but heard the girl's familiar laugh cut through the noise and relaxed.

Karin rounded the corner, seeing Sakura half out of her car with her purse limp in her hands. Karin's cheeks were flushed from laughter and maybe excitement, but she forced a quiet grin all the same. 

"You're home at long last! What took you so long?" Sakura rolled her shoulders, feeling weights shift under her skin.

"Traffic, obviously. Why didn't you text me that you were all coming over?"

"I did, check your phone next time."

Sakura opened her phone and saw the text Karin sent fifteen minutes ago that read: 'Hey, we're over at your house. Let's all have dinner and games.' There was a second message with a photo of Karin with the boys hanging off the railings. Ami was a background detail in the photo, but Sakura recognized the smile.

"Where's Ami?" Sakura asked, slamming the door shut behind her. "I promised her something tonight."

"She got a new camera and was showing it off to us. She said she wanted to do another photo shoot and add more stuff to her blog, because her traffic is down and she wants to hit more and rent out space for advertisements, so we were all trying to come up with ideas." Sakura climbed the steps one at a time.

"Oh, and what did you come up with?" Karin shrugged, keeping step with Sakura. 

"We could go to the thrift stores and do some casual shots. What do you think? You liked the Salvation Army last time we were there."

"If that's something Ami would be interested in." Sakura thought back to the last time they took formal photos in the fall. Sakura and Karin had dressed up as witches and posed under dead apple trees in an abandoned orchard. Sakura saw the photos and had Ami's blog page saved to her favorites, but she never thought about who saw those photos. Ami mentioned something like a few thousand visitors, but it seemed unreal. Was Ami one of those people who was really big online and pretty lackluster in real life, with only a few friends?

"You're back?"

Sakura looked up, hearing the voice of her friend. Ami looked genuinely pleased and the fake smile from the photo on Karin's phone was gone. Good.

"Yeah," Sakura nodded at the boys. "Sorry it took so late, I planned on having dinner started by this time." Ami smirked, and a little bit of her old confidence came back to the surface of her expression.

"I already ordered. We have Chinese food in the fridge whenever you're ready."

"But let's eat outside. It's really nice out here at this time of the day and there aren't that many bugs, which is weird for a house in the sticks. I wanna eat outside."

"You're so picky," Karin complained with a roll of her eyes. Suigetsu snickered while Ami and Juugo headed inside to get the dinner.

Sakura planned to sit back and let everyone else set up for her, but she found herself pulling out the folding card table from behind the doors to the mudroom and helping set it up against the smaller side tables the friends were planning on using. Karin and Suigetsu found chairs, and soon Ami and Juugo were setting a spread of Chinese food for everyone.

"Damn, this is nice. I've not seen so much food in one place since Ami's grandmother came to stay. What's the occasion?" Sugetsu asked, picking up a pair of chopsticks to break. Sakura did the same with her own wooden pair, catching Ami's eyes as the utensils made an echoing snap. Ami flushed and shrugged her shoulders, trying to look huffy. 

"I just wanted Chinese. Does there have to be a reason? I can do nice things when I want to. There doesn't have to be a reason."

"It's okay." Ami looked up sharply, hearing Sakura's words. Juugo was watching Sakura closely, having already picked up on something unspoken passing between the girls. Karin looked confused. "Ami was trying to cheer me up. That's occasion enough."

Something heavy fell down around Sakura as she reached for her can of green tea. Ami and Juugo watched her intently, and the other two noticed how directed those gazes were. Sakura swallowed her reservations.

"You know how I said I wasn't taking classes next semester? Well, I wasn't able to finish most of my classes from the spring semester. It just got kind of stressful, and one night I broke, and the girls found me in the middle of an episode all the way out there by the road in the bushes." Sakura took another long sip before going on. "I fucked up," she exhaled. "I didn't tell anyone else because I was embarrassed, but it's been too heavy to carry anymore. I, at least, wanted my friends to hear this from me."

"What do you mean you had an episode?" Juugo asked, tone full of concern. Suigetsu looked on in bewilderment. Sakura's hands were shaking under the table so she clasped them tight. She wanted to take another sip of tea, but she knew she wouldn't be able to hold the can so she squeezed her fingers. 

"Stress led to an emotional breakdown. What I had was called transient global amnesia. For hours I couldn't remember who I was or what I was doing. It all came back, but it was just… it-I scared the girls more than anything. I was just doing too much and didn't stop to think about the emotional and mental needs I was ignoring. It's so stupid, because between work and school it wasn't that much, but it was too much for me. Sorry I kept this from you. That wasn't my intention."

She left out the part about how watching her lover die in front of her as well as the death of multiple friends helped in unraveling her mind. Every loss was painful, but losing Sai was an _unreal_ pain. Oh and yeah, and being attacked and targeted for her life did little to help alleviate the stress any.

"Will you be sick again?" Juugo asked.

"I hope not, transient global amnesia is typically a one time thing." Juugo looked ready to smother Sakura in affection as he leaned in across the table.

"Are you getting the help you need? Are you seeing someone, or is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm better now, but I'm not going to school again for a while. I just need a lot of time to myself, I think. If I can cut stress out, then that's all they can ask for."

Sakura pinched the inside of her hands and forced herself to reach for her tea can. She grabbed it firmly and lifted it to her lips before tilting it back. She tasted sweet nectar as the ginseng and honey washed down the back of her throat. She forced her hand to stay still as she set the can down and leaned away from the table. When she looked up, Ami was watching her with a pinched expression that was turning the corners of her eyes red. Sakura breathed out in exasperation. They would both be fine, together.

"So is that when you cut your hair?" Suigetsu asked.

Karin jabbed her boy in the ribs and glared at him while Juugo watched with narrowed eyes, but Sakura was thankful for it. There was an elephant in the room she wanted to get out of the way.

"Yeah, that's why my hair's like this now." Sakura reached up to brush her fingers through her curled tresses.

"O-oh…" Suigetsu glanced nervously over at Karin who was still glowering. Sakura felt her body force out another exhale before glancing up at Ami again. Ami offered a small smile that looked ready to break.

Sakura suddenly barked out a short laugh before going to her tea again. Holding it close to her lips, she sucked the excess off the lid, eying the boys over it's rim. She waved at their expressions, setting her tea down. 

"But enough of that, I want food. Suigetsu, pass me the brown rice."

* * *

_"You are something unholy inside of me. Something monstrous. Something great."_

_-Bezalel Aliya G._

* * *

Sakura didn't remember falling asleep, or anything involved in the preparation process for going to bed. One moment she was listening to June bugs buzz and inhaling the smell of healthy grass and moist soil from a yesterday rain, and then the next minute grass smells were replaced with heady spices and the moisture was sucked out of the air, leaving her dry and sunken.

Sakura opened her eyes and recognized her surroundings. She was back in the dream world, on the boxcar of the Tealion express that was set in colonized India. The house she was staying in belonged to a boy named Omoi, who was the son of a dangerous monster as well as the person who slept wrapt up around her sides.

Sakura tried to get a better look over her shoulder at the still sleeping boy and felt him twitch in irritation. He didn't like it when she moved or when he lost contact with her skin. The room was cool from the night before, but Sakura still felt heat from the places his flesh touched hers. One of his legs was wrapped possessively around hers and if she had been the girl she was in early high school, she would have screamed by now. Sakura was older and a little more dead inside now. These things didn't make her heart skip anymore… at least, not with Omoi. Sasori was a different story.

What would she have felt, if she woke up in Sasori's arms? If it had been the redhead she opened her eyes to first thing in the morning. If it were his hands wrapped around her middle, if it were his legs entwined between her own, if it was his heat warming her exposed spectrums…?

Her heart seized inside her chest, and she frowned.

Omoi was not Sasori.

Sakura didn't hesitate to push him back, peeling away from him like he was a wet piece of clothing. He was resistant, but still mostly asleep, so it only took a little effort. The loss of heat must have triggered his waking, because as soon as her ankles were free, Omoi's eyelashes fluttered open.

"I thought you were a dream."

Sakura raised a single brow at his odd choice of words. Did he know he was nothing more than a dream? "How do you know I'm not?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Omoi reached out without lifting his head from the mattress and grabbed the edge of her sari. He felt the fabric between his fingers and breathed out. 

"No, I am not so creative to have dreamed you up. You came to me from another world, the gods crafted you out of starlight to make mortals burn with envy. I will be consumed by you in the utmost gladness."

"I think you're still dreaming."

"You spoke to me in my dreams." Omi pushed himself up into a sitting position. "You told me things about yourself and I spoke to you of my own self. You listened to me without judgement or distaste. Was that all really a dream?"

"I'm sure it was," Sakura answered, feeling uneasy about the thought of Omoi dreaming about her. They had never met before, but she couldn't help but remember Itachi and Hidan dreaming of her and remembering her. Actors dreaming inside the dream about the dreamer… it was dangerous as well as a tongue twister.

"We've spoken so little, I can hardly believe you would know much about me," Sakura said.

"You hate how you hate sunrises anymore. They used to be something you enjoyed, but you feel so heavy now, waking up every morning and trying to fight to find joy in being alive." Sakura felt her body freeze as he continued. "You work with other people's money, but that's not what you want to do. You had dreams, so many of them, and they died so slowly in your heart, it was harder to watch the decay than to feel their loss. You wanted to be a healer, and now you're just a drone bee in the world, working for the privilege of living."

"Stop that." Sakura felt sick in her throat. She had never admitted s much out loud.

"I told you of my mother, of how I'm afraid to know if she loves me or not. You doubt the love of your own mother as well. You encouraged me to find love elsewhere, to take love where I could, and I asked you if you could be a support in my endeavors."

Sakura swallowed, looking away. She refused to ask him what happened next or what she said to him inside his dreams. She refused to prolong their conversation. She didn't like how naked he made her feel. More than a nakedness of flesh, she felt her skin peeled back and her soul exposed, shivering and immodest for all to see.

"You didn't say anything, but you…" he reached up to feel his forehead. "You kissed me here. I think that meant goodbye. Why are you always running? Where could you possibly be going in such a hurry?"

It all boiled down to one word in Sakura's mind.

Survival.

That's why she played the game. She wouldn't live long if she stayed stuck in the dream world and suffered more episodes of wandering amnesia. One day she might just sleepwalk right into the middle of the road. One night she might just be slashed open by a dragon. One night she might just be stabbed through the heart by the dream killer or her lover. One night she might not wake was always present in her mind; the possibility of never waking up again.

"Where are we going today?" she asked, setting her eyes on the window and the world outside. There were dusty boys in the street carrying rickshaws for fancy English people and cream colored cows carrying rice for markets to sell. That was the world she came from. She would not be going back there. "Will you show me the way to the daemon country, or do I have to find that on my own?"

"You have to visit the Christian lady and beseech her permission to cross her lands." Omoi looked unsettled just mentioning it. "If she favors you, she may bless you with a guide to the dark lands. You will need a guide."

That sounded very quest like. Sakura had a gut feeling she was on the right track. This was starting to sound more and more like a video game level, where the gamer played a character who battled alongside party members that needed to be earned or found throughout the game.

"Tell me how I can earn her favor then." Omoi looked away before climbing to his feet. 

"No, first we must eat. Food before work. There is a bath adjacent to this room, you will find the tubs already warm and filled. Oils you should desire have already been prepared, as well as your clothing." He hesitated, blushing a bit. "I dressed your wounds once you fell asleep. I can see about sending up a handmaid to redo the bindings."

Sakura looked down at her chest and saw what bandages where the long red scar should have been. Her breasts were further bound, but not in a manner that proved constricting. Based on how fast she healed in the dream world, she doubted there would be anything there for Omoi's maids to bind once she washed herself. She wasn't even sore anymore.

"Don't bother, I prefer to see to my own needs, and besides… there isn't anyone else on this property, is there?" Sakura hadn't heard a peep or sensed a single presence during the entirety of her stay. Putting two and two together, she figured there were few people willing to work for the hand that serves the Naga her meals.

"There are maids, and chamber lords… but they reside in the lowermost levels, and will not appear before me, as is forbidden. Still, if I ring, they will come for you." Sakura waved Omoi off, crossing the room to the door that led to the baths.

"Don't bother. I don't need any help." She paused in front of the door, glancing back over her shoulder to finish her thoughts. "When I am finished, you will tell me what I need to know, correct?"

Omoi nodded.

Satisfied, Sakura stepped into the baths.

The tile was as luxurious as a Turkish spa with its sprawling tubs complete with floating lilies on the surface. Sakura sidestepped the discarded petals tossed carelessly across the floor, casting off clothing as she walked. Stepping gradually into the bath, Sakura lowered herself onto the bench before scooting off and submerging beneath the waters. When she surfaced she smelled like roses and lilies.

There were jars of oils for her hair lining the edge of the bath towards the corner, but Sakura ignored them, knowing her hair didn't need much of anything anymore, even outside of the dream world. The bath itself was unnecessary, as she could just as easily imagine herself clean and be so in the blink of an eye. No, bathing was not done out of necessity, but because she felt like running away for a little while.

Wading out into the center of the bath Sakura ducked under the surface and twisted her body over so that she lay with her back to the base of the bath, staring up at patterns the light played with the water's surface. She could stay there for hours if she wanted to. She didn't need to breathe in this world.

_Great, cause I feel like I'm always suffocating._

She wished she was back with Kisame, Zabuza and Haku, before things got painful with the Akatsuki. At least with Kisame there had been an honest friendship that she could fall into without fear of dying an emotional death every time he opened his mouth. Kisame had been one of her favorite actors to encounter, precisely because of how flawlessly he fit into her life. He wasn't a potential romantic candidate like many of the others, and that made her feel safe. She wanted to feel safe again. Where was Sai when she needed him?

_You killed him._

Oh, right.

Sakura pushed off the bottom of the bath and stood, letting the waters roll off her back following the curve of her shoulder blades. Something made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and she turned to see a figure standing at the edge of the bath.

"Take a breath, why don't you," sneered the dark skinned girl with gold eyes. Sakura tensed, bending her knees under the water. 

"Karui, correct? You think you could wait till I'm dressed?"

Without a headscarf the girl's unusual red hair was exposed in all it's coiled glory as an elaborate bird shaped pin held it up on the one side. She was dressed in a complementary red and white sari that cut off at her midriff to expose a jeweled belly and pierced navel. When she shifted the weight of her body from one leg to the other, the jewels played with the light, making Sakura nearly wince.

"That's sort of why I'm here, sheep. You need some help dressing your wounds?"

Sakura took a step forward in the bath, towards the edge where the waterline was lower, exposing the tops of her breasts. There was a shallow red scar that was destined to fade in time, but no obvious need for bandages. 

"Sorry, no. I'm fine."

Before the girl could say anything more, Sakura turned and headed for the opposite end of the baths, stepping up onto the step and grabbing the edge of the pool. Not caring who saw, Sakura pulled herself out and headed for the benches where a handful of simple cloth towels waited for her to dry herself off with. Her hair took little to no effort to dry anymore.

Sakura nearly cried out when she felt someone's fingers pinch the skin above her ribs. Turning she saw the close up face of a fuming Karui. 

"Skinny little rat. I can see your bones."

"I just got out of the bath, lay off!" Sakura snapped, feeling a little hostile with this girl she didn't know. Maybe it was the golden eyes that made Sakura so upset. She wasn't normally so mean to people she just met. The girl huffed with indigence before picking something off a bench and shoving it into Sakura's arms. 

"Start with this and I'll see about fixing that mess of hair you're cursed with."

"I don't need your help."

"I don't like you either, lamb meat, but someone has to make sure you don't die between here and the kitchen. Gods, you look like a disease with legs. Do the world a favor and let me help."

Before Sakura could protest again, the girl had shoved Sakura again and begun dressing her with soft silk the color of dusk. Sakura struggled at first, but gave in when she found the other girl's pinching to be worth less than what she was willing to put up with.

But when Karui went for Sakura's hair, the girl said something about stupid ornaments and then pulled the jade dragon pin out from a knot in Sakura's hair, before setting it down on the table. She pulled Sakura's short hair back and pinned it into a rose shaped bun held in place with black and blue pins, using the jade dragon to keep it hidden from it's position underneath the knot.

"You'll do. At least in this you can move around now. The other one was too pretty to breathe easy in, right?"

Sakura turned to face the girl, eyeing her carefully before nodding. Yes, she liked her new outfit, yes she felt better in it, and yes it would be easier to run around in, but she still didn't trust yellow eyes. 

"Thanks." Karui shrugged. 

"Omoi is downstairs. He's going to tell you about the Christian lady, right? We call her Samui, and she's the one who calls the shots around here. If he tells you to be careful around her, don't mind him, she's more easygoing on women than men."

"Why are you helping me? All I know about you is your name and the fact that you talk to Omoi without reservation," Sakura said. "Why should I trust anything you say?"

"You shouldn't. Never trust anything anyone says. Just play along and keep your guard up." Karui shrugged her shoulders, tilting her head back and smiling out of the corner of her mouth. "Your gut will tell you what to do better than any other person. Make your choices based on that."

The girl turned to head out of the baths, and Sakura reluctantly followed.

When the pair emerged downstairs in an open room with sprawling couches encircling a low set table, Sakura still felt no closer to her objective. It was midday in the dream world, and while that didn't mean much for her true reality's time, she felt like she had already wasted enough time making herself up. She should be done with this car already. The others hadn't taken this long, she needed to be done with the gate and move on to the kingdom.

Omoi was the only other one sitting down at the table, but there was a guard standing off to the side with his back to the wall, watching the room with hooded eyes that contrast sharply with his pure white turban. Omoi looked up when he heard the girls enter. At first his expression was one of disgust, but it softened once he saw Sakura from behind Karui.

"Don't look so happy. She'll hate you the longer she's around you," Karui cooed, reaching forward to pat Omoi's cheek. With a scowl, he swat her hand away and leaned out in the opposite direction.

"Don't touch me, blight."

Karui blew him a kiss mockingly before falling into a seat opposite his at the table set with food. Omoi looked away from the redhead and up at Sakura, offering her his hand. Sakura moved past it and sat down on her own in a place set with no food. She sat back against the cushions, crossing her arms over her chest, knowing she didn't need to eat in this world to survive. Just like she didn't need to breathe underwater to stay alive.

Omoi looked mildly offended, but didn't let the expression linger as he leaned forward to address Sakura. 

"I have secured you an audience with the Christian lady, but it will be informal and brief because of the time. She is hosting a dinner party for her English friends and does not often like to be disturbed with matters of business during these weeks. The most you can hope for is a conversation over cocktails and in between dances."

"If you can manage that much," Karui laughed.

"I don't need her to sign a blood oath, do I? How much time do I actually need in order to impress her?" Sakura asked, glancing between the two.

"Not long," Karui cut in before Omoi could. "She's quick to make judgments. She'll either like you or not. You don't need to orchestrate a sit down for that, and this way you'll catch her in a good mood. If she does end up liking you, she might even let me be your guide." Sakura felt her eyes widen and then narrow.

"You? You could guide me through the daemon lands? Why?" The girl shrugged.

"Native blood, I'd think." Her gold eyes flashed. Sakura's eyes were definitely narrowed now. 

"Why won't you just help me then? Why do I need that woman's permission?"

"I wouldn't do it if you asked me," Karui bit out, not bothering to hide the venom underneath her words with a fake, sugary smile. "You're not the person I answer to. I answer to Samui, she's the only one who has the right to boss me around."

"And if she says no, you'll still refuse?"

"That's really not a question." Karui smirked, reaching forward for a short glass of wine to drown the back of her throat with.

"You're an insufferable daemon," Omoi grumbled, sounding more bored than upset. "I hope she chooses Darui for our guide instead. Really, anyone else would be better than you."

"I'm glad we get along so well," Karui fake hummed. Omoi shook his head, pushing the plate of finished food away. He stood and turned to offer Sakura his hand. 

"Will you walk with me? I wish to talk with you uninterrupted before we need to leave for the party tonight."

Sakura felt like saying she didn't feel like walking or talking, but bit the inside of her cheek, remembering what Hayate said. She needed to advance the narrative. She needed to move the story forward and play with the actors in order to get what she wanted. This car on the train wasn't like the others. There was a puzzle here, but the puzzle involved people and places. She needed to fulfill a role before the lock could be opened.

Ignoring the pair, Karui turned and left to only she-knew-where.

She took his hand and he led her outside into a garden lush with flowers and decorated for pleasure. He didn't try to talk to her at first, but let her explore the gardens with her mind undivided. He watched her as she watched the peacocks squeak through the hanging flowers, gliding short distances they couldn't fly across. There was a monkey in a tree somewhere that was too shy to come down, but Sakura called out to it once, just to have at least tried it.

"Where is it you are going?" Omoi asked at last, startling her out of her observations. When she frowned he went on. "You're so dedicated. I want to know where it is you plan on going."

"I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. I don't know what the next world or the next day will look like, I just know I need to get there for better or for worse. If it's anything like where I've been, I can at least say there's some sort of bloodshed for me to be caught up in the middle of."

"Then tell me where you have been. I want to know you better."

So she did. Sakura told Omoi of the Marble Gardens and the City of Man, where she ate at Neptune's Diner and fought in its electric dance halls. She spoke of the Monarch Woods and of the Land of Water, and the villages that housed her when she and Kisame were on the road together. She even talked a little bit about the first few train cars on the Tea Lion Express. It didn't seem like a lot in her head, but by the end of it, she had told enough to Omoi to feel lighter for it.

By the time she got to the end, the sun was low and the estate was more active than before, with servants and guards Sakura hadn't noticed before.

"Why do you think you're cursed?" Omoi asked her, demanding her attention once again as Sakura turned back to stare at him. Whenever she tried looking away, he would ask something of her, something that made her think, something that made her stop looking at the world around her.

"If that's not a cursed life, I don't know what is," Sakura chuckled.

"True, your fate is one richly colored with the handiwork of restless gods, and you have suffered greatly, but that is life for those who do not give up. You've rested before, but you've never chosen not to engage in the challenges and obstacles of this cursed world."

"I don't have a choice." Omoi chuckled lowly.

"I gave you one when I asked you to stay here with me. The curse can't hurt you if you're not playing with it. Just stay in this land, in this house, with me. You don't need to go to the next world and suffer any more."

Sakura felt something so deeply and inherently wrong with his words, but while her heart rejected them, her head couldn't find the fault in them. He was right. All she had to do was quit playing and the curse wouldn't be anything for her to worry about. So what if she dreamed herself into a new world every night, all she had to do was enjoy her time with the actors and become one of their people.

What if she had stayed in Mizu after they killed the three tailed crab, or in Krepost after slaying the elephant wolf? She could have stayed forever with Sasori and his greaser gang without engaging Snake Eyes and his rival gang. Even the Marble Gardens, where only she and Sai could hide away in… why did she ever have to leave that place? Why had she ever bothered to play the game for the Curse?

"He believed in me."

"What did you say?" Omoi blinked, frowning.

"Sai… he believed in me. He knew I could do it, they all did. They believed in my ability to be the only one to make it all the way to the end and beat this curse and free all the souls damned within it." Sakura smiled at the memory of Sai. "He gave me the strength to go on. I won't disrespect his memory."

Omoi stopped walking on the edge of his little garden looking outside where a rickshaw waited. The guards Sakura noticed scattered throughout the estate stood off to the side, ready to follow on foot. 

"If that is your decision, we will go to see the Christian lady."

Another day passed for the living before Sakura returned for the dead.

Sakura followed Omoi into the rickshaw and rode beside him into the twilight that stretched from his property and the roads were humble men walked, to the sea shell covered walkways bright and illustrious. It wasn't far, and it didn't feel like it took that long, but when Sakura stepped out alongside Omoi, the sky was dark and the first few stars were coming out.

Though this world was Indian all around her, the mansion in front of her was decidedly English with an impressive colonial front, decked out in all white to match the seashell driveway. There were lights coming from inside, and voices rose and fell with peals of laughter.

From the left, Sakura saw a richly dressed English couple ascend the stairs out front and enter into the main entryway guarded by two footmen. The man had a handsome beard and a breast full of medals, which contrasted against his scarlet dress uniform. His wife looked like she stepped out of a Pride and Prejudice stage production.

"It's a ball," Sakura remembered.

She looked over at Omoi and noticed how handsomely he was dressed. His uniform was all white, and his turban was offset by a large green jewel and a peacock feather. He didn't need to do much to look party ready.

Sakura looked down at herself next and decided she was decent enough in her dusky blue sari. She dreamed up something dripping in diamonds for her hair and wrists. When the pair passed a pool, Sakura saw her reflection stare back at her with a petite tiara of what looked like sky plucked stars to match the tear drops hanging from her ear lobes. Her eyes were smoky enough to make it all work.

"Don't worry," Omoi whispered over her shoulder. He had caught her staring at her image and it made him smile for some reason. She felt her cheeks blush when he grinned. "You're lovely enough without their English clothes."

"I don't care about that," Sakura mumbled, thinking her sari nicer anyway. Omoi just chuckled.

Sakura forgot India.

Inside, she was dancing with Austrian princes and Dutch diplomats under a chandelier made for the Queen of Great Britain herself. Dance partners came to her in a steady stream, one right after the other. There were older men, younger boys, and mature gentlemen with just enough gray on their temples to make their features dashing.

Omoi tried his best to dance as often as possible with her, but it wasn't polite to monopolize a guest, so he was often left to the sidelines to watch her dip and twirl. Sometimes he would slip away for his own business, but it was rare to look and see him attentive to anything else but her.

There actually weren't that many people who seemed willing to talk with the boy, though Sakura doubted they knew about his shameful social standing. No, most of the attendants were overeducated colonialists, who didn't see the natives as company worth engaging.

The room where the Christian lady entertained her guests was vast enough to swallow armies in all the spinning skirts. Italian Roco finishes accented the walls where mirrors reflected the main floor from their settings in between the moldings.

Sakura noticed a few rooms off to the side that were open for less lively activity, like lounging and cards. One room appeared exclusive for men and their smoking jackets, another seemed fit only for women.

There was one more room, one made for mixed company that seemed set apart in the back. Sakura saw an older woman sitting on cushions in the dark playing with a deck of cards. Men and women came to her and had their palms read for entertainment.

The room tilted slightly, and Sakura felt a roll in her gut. The world was growing thinner, starting to show the first signs of strain. Sakura had already spent too much time asleep and she needed to wake up soon, but the narrative was still going. She had to try and stay in the dream world as long as possible, until she at least spoke to the woman Omoi told her about.

Omoi is close to her at once.

"Are you okay?" he asks from somewhere beside her. 

"Don't think about it. It's just big in here." Sakura waved a hand dismissively, avoiding his eyes.

There were more dancers organizing themselves into a line dance that folded the people in and out into rows and wheels before returning them to their original positions. It was dizzying, but also wonderful. Those who watched on the sidelines didn't seem moved by the complicated dance steps, but that was likely because so many of them were gossiping over their hands and fans. Many eyes were actually trained on her, now that she bothered to notice. 'Great.'

"Where is this woman?" Sakura asked, looking away as an older couple hid behind their fans before the harsh whispers began. Sakura hated the feeling deep in her gut. It was like early high school all over again.

"Samui is currently engaged with the ambassador to Austria. She won't be occupied for long, she finds him boring and dull." Omi tugged on her arm, drawing her closer to his side. "Come with me."

He leads her down to the dance floor and off to the side behind the first row of spectators. He keeps her close, always on his arm, sometimes tight against his side; he smells like spices and sunshine when they're that close. Sakura almost misses it when he stops with her in front of an artistically beautiful blond woman with her throat dripping in pearls and her eyes narrowed to sapphire cut slits. There was a quirk to the woman's lips, and Sakura felt intimidated right away. From behind her, the Austrian ambassador was still saying something, talking about his trip through the town last evening, but the Christian lady dressed in pearls and blue satin wasn't paying him any mind. Her eyes were burning Sakura to pieces.

"Omoi, you've brought me quite the lamb," the blond cooed, waving the Austrian away. "How delightful she seems. Wherever did you come to find such a lovely jewel for your arm?" Sakura fell into a deep curtsy that looked like the ones she saw in period films before rising her eyes to meet the blond's.

"My name is Sakura. I have come to ask for your help regarding a matter in the daemon lands you own."

Energy jumped between the two women.

"Oh, such bold words. Do you know of what you ask of me, child?" Samui shifted her eyes from Sakura to Omoi, asking him without words what he thought of her request.

"I do," Sakura answered before Omoi could.

"Is that why you are so close to the daemon's child?" Samui's eyes were hard as stone again, but still as beautiful. "When no others would touch the child, you hold his arm as if he were nothing more than a man. You're not stupid, you know what he is and yet you are still here." She lifts her chin. "Like this."

"Yes. Omoi's heritage is not something that I would ever hold against him. I don't care where he came from or what he is. That's irrelevant."

"What is it you want?" She went straight to the point, narrowing her gaze once more.

"Safe passage. I'm going there and I hear that it's not something I can do without an escort or your permission."

"Why?"

Sakura's mind whirred with the answer she so desperately wanted to spit out. 'Because this is all a dream world and in order to go into the next dream I have to find the end of this box car and go through a door into another box car until this stupid pattern is broken.' But Sakura held her tongue. That wouldn't get her anywhere inside the narrative.

"I have to travel through your lands until I find a way home. The ways out are always through the daemon country, aren't they?"

"I don't know of a way out, but in the southmost lands there are many caves and in those caves the daemons make their homes. There is no glory there for you to find." Sakura had a flash mental image of a door set in stone and lined with veins of onyx. She was on the right track.

"No, I'm pretty sure that's where I need to be in order to find my way out of this land. It's not supposed to be easy. If it were, I'd be suspicious. Will you lend me the aid I need to make the journey?"

Samui looked away from Sakura, across her dance floor, to the light skinned Europeans and the darker skinned natives. So many had peacock feathers somewhere on their persons, and too many smelled like fake flowers. They were all pretending. Someone in the crowd must have caught her eye though, since she locked on to a figure and smiled.

"Why should I help you?" the blond asked, still not bothering to look at Sakura. Her eyes were glued to a new person approaching the trio.

Karui's words echoed inside her mind. 'If she thinks you're interesting…'

"Because I'm interesting. I'm not another proper lady for your people to dance with. I intend to carry my own weight and fight through on my own if you refuse me, but I have a feeling you'd like one of your own storytellers to be there for the reports you enjoy. Wouldn't you like to hear how my adventure into daemon country went?"

Sakura's confidence surged and her lips hooked up at the corners, recognizing the look in Samui's eyes. The woman was intrigued. This was good. Sakura had found her way in. Just as Sakura began to feel safe in her assessment, the world tilted again, and this time she pitched forward as well before catching herself. She was thin, stretched to the point of snapping. Soon she wouldn't even exist in the world anymore.

She had spent too much time dancing and wasting hours on petty conversations with men and Omoi and others on the dance dream cycle felt shorter than the others, but with dreams, she knew better than to say all was as it seemed. Nothing was ever fair.

Samui watched Sakura and Sakura righted herself and steadied her position by leaning on Omoi's shoulder a bit. Samui's eyes were dazzling. 

"I've made my decision to entertain your fancies, but I won't tell you who I've decided to send with you until tomorrow night. Until then, there is a room where I would like you to stay."

Omoi opened his mouth to protest, but a look from the blond woman cut him silent. Samui turned her narrowed eyes back to Sakura before stepping forward and cupping the girl's cheek. The world was a wet watercolor painting as Sakura felt the dream ending. Samui's face remained unmelted though.

"You're such a frail thing. How ever will you survive my monsters?"

The world snapped apart and she was no more.

* * *

Sakura had never been a morning person. Too much of a night owl, it was always difficult for her to wake herself in the morning and even harder to drag herself out of bed. When she woke up before nine, it was usually because her alarm clock's snooze button didn't work anymore.

But with school and a job, there were days she had to wake early, so during the cold morning, Sakura kicked back her covers and rolled out of bed, landing on her knees and toes before crawling into the bathroom. Today she had to start work early because if she didn't, that meant she ended up at the Orchard during the same time as Genma and Yamato.

She felt so weird about it all. Weird and frustrated. The fact that there were people who knew about her mental breakdown, and then thought about it without her knowledge of it made her want to hit something and then run and hide. She must sound like such a basket case to them. She hadn't meant to. She tried hard to be the 'smart' girl, the 'wise' one who had her shit together. Not the crazy woman with Jane Eyre level issues. No, that was her mother, and Sakura was not her mother.

More sluggish than usual, Sakura showered, straightened and pinned back what she could of her short hair, and dressed in something comfy for a day sitting on her butt. High waisted shorts and a three quarter sleeve boatneck top made her outfit for the day, complemented by dirty chucks and a rough amethyst necklace that rested between her breasts. She liked the way she looked in the mirror, and even the white roots showing through her pink dye job seemed stylish somehow. She had been planning on dying her hair a darker pink again soon, but maybe this lighter look was better.

Karin was already reading the news on her phone over some semi burned waffles when Sakura made it downstairs. In spite of her efforts to rise early, Sakura was actually behind schedule and found out she really didn't give a crap today.

"You didn't sleep well again." Sakura blinked, turning around to look at Karin who was still scrolling through Flipbook. 

"Did I wake you?" Karin shook her head.

"Nah, but we were up late, no wonder you had such a fitful sleep. Ami's still out of it, she won't be up till noon."

"I'm surprised you decided to stay over. Didn't you want to leave with Suigetsu?" Karin put down her phone and stabbed her waffle.

"I'm dating him, yeah, but just because he's my boyfriend now doesn't mean I abandon my best friend! I'm not going to… this time it's going to be a healthy, balanced relationship, and I want you to be close to me throughout it. I haven't done that in the past, and I think that was one of the reasons I made such shitty decisions."

Sakura remembered when Karin would be the girl who no one could talk to because her world revolved around a boy, and the words that fell from his lips were gospel and she was his most zealous martyr. 

"I don't think you're in danger of that with Suigetsu." Karin shrugged, chewing loudly.

"We'll see." She set her phone down and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before leaning back in her seat till half the legs were hovering above the floor. 

"So, what did you dream about last night anyway? I wanna know now." Sakura pushed two waffled down inside her toaster, not bothering to make her own from scratch like usual. Not enough time existed in the mornings for luxuries. 

"India during the British colonization period… and monsters. It was all pretty elaborate, but you know how little you remember of dreams when you eventually wake up, right?"

"You used to have the best dreams. Crazy, bat shit dreams that were so cool to listen to. Tell me about one of them sometime." Sakura hummed in acknowledgment, watching her toaster. 

"There was a human boy whose mother was a Naga monster, you know the half snake-women, and he ate rock candy and chained me up because I talked to him, and apparently that's what he wants in a girl."

"Kinky," Karin snickered. "Sure that's all that happened in your dreams? Did he take you against the wall or atop his satin sheets?"

"Only you would turn that into a kink fest. It was actually pretty terrifying."

"Sakura, anyone with a sex drive would take the opportunity to turn that into a joke. You're obviously in the minority for your age group. When was the last time you made out with a boy?" Sakura's waffle began to smell good in the toaster, and she knew it would pop up any second.

"Please don't make this about my nonexistent sex life."

"It doesn't even have to be about sex. Just get a guy to kiss now and then. You don't have to start hitting them out of the park, but you do need to start swinging." Karin leaned forward suddenly and her chair slammed back down onto all fours with a muffled bang. "Take your time and walk to first base when you feel like it."

"Baseball and sex. Good morning New York," Sakura huffed. Her toaster popped up just then and she picked up the waffles before dropping them onto a plastic dish.

"Just saying… it's nice to kiss."

"I'm not saying you're wrong, but for the love of all that's good and holy, don't push me when I know I'm still an emotional mess no one would want to clean up. Yeah, maybe somebody might come along who's willing, but it wouldn't work so long as I'm…" Sakura felt her heart hurt in her chest and she couldn't find the words to finish. When she looked up, Karin was watching her with a wounded expression. It made Sakura's chest ache even more. "No, never mind. Don't… uh, sorry. Um, just forget I ever said anything. I'm just not ready for relationships right now. It wouldn't be fair to anyone else."

Karin was quiet as she watched Sakura sit down and start to cut up her waffle. In the silence between them, all the sounds of an aged home filled up the seconds. Outside boards, inside floorboards that followed Ami's footsteps, an ancient air conditioner that sputtered, and in the hallway a grandfather clock that ticked by the seconds with heavy hands. After a while the redhead nodded. 

"Yeah, I know. Sorry I said anything. I was overstepping again." Sakura shook her head.

"Don't apologize. It's your job as my friend to step over those lines every now and then. It's one of the reasons I like you so much." Karin's face flushed a bit and the grin that cut into her cheeks was impish.

"You're an idiot, Sakura."

Sakura bit into her waffle. "Love you too."

* * *

Sakura adjusted her trousers and twisted her ankle to make the riding boots fit better as Karui stared the paler girl down. The yellow eyed girl wore a sari of scarlet and silver, looking like one of the last people to willingly walk into daemon country as a guide.

"I had a feeling it might be you. Still…" Sakura eyed the girl up and down. "You going to be able to move like that?"

"Some of us haven't forgotten how to move in a skirt, little lamb. You think you can keep up?"

Sakura posted her fists atop her hips, raising a single brow that said enough without words. 'Yeah, I'm ready,' the expression conveyed. 

"Are we taking anyone else or is it just us two?" Sakura asked. Karui chuckled.

"Omoi would have killed me if he thought it would help his chances in joining us, but because of his position, he cannot leave for extended periods of time, and I don't know how long we will be. Though, he was briefly considered."

"I feel bad I didn't get to say goodbye."

"He's a daemon offspring, you know."

"And what are you?" Sakura tilted her head to the side, eyes probing. "What qualifies you to be my guide? What curse do you keep secret?"

The redhead's eyes flickered dangerously before narrowing off in a different direction. Without answering, Karui turned and left the hall, not bothering to check and see if Sakura was following her. Sakura didn't care that the girl was a bit frosty with her. If anything, Sakura felt comfortable with the animosity. It was better than the blind worship of Omoi and some of the other actors. Karui made Sakura work for companionship.

They took a back path out of the estate, and before long their trek took them in between trees with vines and leaves big enough to sit inside of. Sakura noticed how dark the world got under the canopy, and tried to stay close to the woman who was still giving her the cold shoulder. There were sounds from the jungle, whispers between animals and the groaning of ancient trees. Sakura saw a few birds before she heard them too, and maybe even a snake draped languidly across sprayed branches.

Sakura licked her lips before speaking, eyeing a python that watched the pair from afar. 

"Is it really so dangerous here? The animals don't seem scared."

"Animals have no need to fear the monsters and daemons. The Rakshasa, especially, give them no reason to fear or alter their habits in any way."

Sakura remembered the blue tattooed man she had turned into dust and nearly drew her sword out of mid air in preparation for a fight she not so eagerly anticipated. The girl in front of her noticed Sakura's body tense and chuckled.

"Don't look so worried. Nothing worth getting your booties worked up for in this forest so far. I'll let you know if you need to scream." Sakura frowned, but only slightly.

"You don't think I can protect myself."

"Isn't that why I'm here?"

Sakura didn't say anything more, but followed the girl deeper into the dim of the forest. For what felt like hours they walked in silence, content to each be an unspeaking company to the other. Sakura didn't know how much actual time passed until she felt the pull from the dream. She had been walking a while, and in a while the dream would start to break down again. Before she felt the need to worry, Karui stopped and stilled, crouching low. Her sari flared out around her like a silver tinted flame.

"The caves are near, and so are the Rakshasa."

Sakura drew her blade without pause and leveled it, ready to swing it the way Zabuza and Kisame taught her. So many days spent in that world with those men made her a better blades-woman. She filled herself up like a goblet with confidence. She would not be bested. She would destroy what sought to destroy her.

"No," Karui hissed, moving backwards a bit before a tree trunk exploded and the blue tattooed warrior with fangs and claws emerged from the wreckage.

Before Karui could move, Sakura was up and swinging. She was a tornado with steel, twisting into an attack that ripped through the blue colored body before it could get far. With a cry, it was dust at her feet.

"Look out!" Sakura turned in time to catch the claws of a second daemon, but was thrown back by its sheer strength. She cried out in pain when her back hit a tree trunk with a resounding thud. She would be bruised in the morning when she woke up.

Sakura heard cursing and looked up to see Karui dancing with needle thin knives, her own fangs bared and her yellow eyes shining. There was something reptilian about her and the way she moved, she reminded Sakura a little bit of Orochimaru again, and that's when the pieces fell into place. Sakura felt the realization dawn on her like a physical heat.

Karui was also a Naga, or she would become one soon. She had snake eyes and the fangs of a Naga, but she was too young to manifest her snake half… or maybe there was a different reason she still looked mostly human. With a terrible cry, Karui drove her needles into the body of her opponent and he became dust for her as well. She turned to look at Sakura and huffed.

"We're at the caves, get up."

Silently, Sakura climbed up from her fallen position and joined the other girl and the clearing edge. She could see now, that beyond the edge of the trees, the green clearing dropped off into harsh stone that reflected faces of light back from black flecks of onyx scattered throughout. Yes, this was her way out. She could feel it. This was probably even the very last level of the Tea Lion Express. Soon she would leave the Gate world and enter into the Kingdom of Monsters.

Sakura took a step forward before Karui, and then another. She was magnetized to the exit's promise. She knew what to do.

"Wait, are you just going to go in?" Karui's hand was on Sakura's shoulder, stopping her from going forward. "That's their den. You'll be walking right into a trap."

"Yeah, probably, but that's where I need to go. I can manage the rest on my own." Sakura held up her sword for emphasis. "I'll be fine, so you can go back."

"Th-sh-Samui told me I had to watch you. If you die what will I tell her then?"

"Tell her the truth. You saw me off to the caves and left me when I told you I was fine." Sakura shook her hand free and turned into the cave, heading for the door at the end of the obelisk veins.

Just when she was starting to believe this would be too easy, the walls groaned around her, and the magic snapped inside the cavern. Sakura leveled her blade and fell into a stance as the dust gathered before her to form the solid body of a blue skinned Rakshasa. This one was stronger, taller, and larger than all the others. His teeth were steak knives and his eyes were spiral flames that burned bright enough to shadow his sharp features. Fear was his breath and terror was his cry. Sakura was humbled at once as the monster took on form. There was just something about him that made her want to buckle. It was an evil thing. Something made out of absence; the absence of light, the absence of humanity, the absence of goodness, the absence of grace.

"Shit," Sakura spoke aloud, forcing her knees not to buckle. She couldn't stop the nervous chuckle from escaping. This guy was huge and scary agile. The cave was tight, but still high enough for the giant to move around in. If Sakura had to guess, she would say he was nearly as large as the Elephant Wolf she fought in the last kingdom, but this time she was alone. Not even Sai.

That thought was a shock of cold water to her lungs. She was awake and drowning all at once. 'No!'

A fist came towards her, and she was fast enough to move herself clear of the zone of destruction, but then it twisted backwards and his other fist came straight for her at an impossible angle. She cursed and jumped towards it, avoiding it just narrowly. It's moves were unconventional and hard to track. She had a good eye for movement, but this monster was coming at her in ways she never predicted. She was doing everything she could just to stay out of its reach. It was getting harder and harder to stay alive and unharmed. If she didn't have unlimited stamina, she would have been done for long ago.

The world of her dreams snapped a little bit and she panicked, remembering how close she was to the end of her sleep cycle. What would happen if she fell asleep during this fight? Would she wake up again? What happened to her body in this world when she woke up in the real world? It had never been an issue before, but now she was faced with the possibility of another life ending problem.

She needed to end this fight, fast.

"Hayate, I need help!" she called into the darkness, not knowing if he was close or not.

She dodged another fist, this one faster than the others, and caught a glimpse of him not too far away. He was watching her, but his arms were folded, and his eyes were bored. He had no intention of coming to her aid. He was impartial and neutral. If she lived or died made no difference to him. He wasn't Sai.

"Damn you!" Sakura roared, turning into her blade's swing, cutting fingers. The Indian daemon roared at the first blood shed in their battle. Sakura didn't give it time to recover, she pressed the advantage and was about to dig into naked blue chest when his other hand came to meet her chest, sending her backwards into stone. If she lived, she would be terribly bruised.

"You should have made better choices in the narrative," Hayate sighed from across the distance. Sakura saw him melt away and felt anger numb her to the pain her dream body vibrated with.

So what if she was alone. She was almost always alone. This was no different.

Sakura tried to move and she knew she would not be as fast as before. While numb, she still had trouble raising her arms or moving her shoulders. Something might have been broken.

She felt the heat of his inferno eyes and cowered, tears making her face wet. She wanted to quit, to exit, to go home and sleep for the first time in months. She wanted out! She was a taut bowstring that was overstretched and ready to snap. Her next mental breakdown was on the cusp of owning her.

The blue hands, fingers like knives, stretched for her and she was swallowed by shadow.

"No!"

Between her and death Omoi stood, his own curved blade pierced through the palm of her daemon. It howled and reached back, now wounded in both hands, stumbling and fuming with fire eyes. Her savior was quick to turn and reach for Sakura, worry clear in his expressions.

"Are you alright?" His voice broke with the fear he tried to swallow.

"I'm fine. Sakura rolled her shoulders back and set her jaw. She wouldn't show him her pain. "What are you doing here? You have a job."

"You were about to be killed, I wasn't going to let you die! What were you thinking trying to take on a king Rakshasa by yourself?! Not even armies dare such a thing!" Sakura felt her lips twitch at his words. 

"But I'm not an army." Omi looked equal parts flushed with anger and infatuation.

"You're insufferable! Why are you not dead yet, you hubris goddess?" He kissed her ear and she felt how shaky his breath was against her skin. If bodies were temples, his was scarred with earthquakes of emotion. "Damn it."

"This still doesn't make up for chaining me to the wall."

"But it does make sense, now. You're destined to die in a blaze of glory and blood with that spirit of yours." Behind him, the Rakshasa king stirred, recovering bit by bit. Omi's expression soured into something grim. "But that will not be this day. I am your vassal, wield me for your works."

Before thinking of it, Sakura reached for the tail of his turban, tugging on it till his neck bent down towards her. She kissed his jaw, quick and light, before standing and running past him, her blade held high.

She was almost out of time, but this was all she needed. No longer alone, her blade bit through the body of blue, tearing with a vengeance alongside Omoi's own.

They were stars that burned through the darkness.

Nothing was left behind but dust and an empty sense of loss when the debris cleared to reveal Omoi's solitude. He felt the patch of skin where her lips had touched him and he burned with the memory. He was made for that kiss.

"She left you."

He turned and saw Karui watching him from the cave's slope. Her eyes were more snake like than ever before. She looked more and more like the Naga she would become with every battle. How long until he fed her alongside his mother?

"She was destined to," he answered.

"Doesn't mean you have to be glad about it." She misread the smile on his face.

"I'm not," he protested, caressing the underside of his jaw. "But I feel like I just did the most important thing I could possibly do, for as long as I live. I choose to be happy about that."

"Liar." Karui sneered, lifting her chin and curling her lip.

Omoi wiped away the tears and turned to face the door in the darkness, now left broken and partly opened.

* * *

_"This girl who stands so quiet and grave at the mouth of hell. This girl who is all quietness and sanity and innocence. You wondered why I wanted her?"_

_— Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre_

* * *

  
  
  



	3. The Imperial Jade Affliction

_ "She was the missing kingdom, the unbruised part of myself I'd lost with my mother. Everything about her was a snowstorm of fascination."  
_ _ -Donna Tartt, The Goldfinch _

* * *

A great while ago, when the world was full of wonders...

**OBELISK:**

**Kingdom of Monsters**

* * *

###  The Imperial Jade Affliction

* * *

"Amongst the monsters, I am well hidden;  
who looks for a leaf in a forest?"

Nights At The Circus - Angela Carte

"I'm sort of a bitch," Sakura admitted out loud, slouched behind the wheel of her station wagon. 

She glared over the edge of the steering wheel at the mess of cars in front of her, and cursed them even more. She hated traffic jams, and this one had cost her an extra forty five minutes without any sign of letting up. She had a feeling there was a fatality or something, but the idea that someone dying on the street didn't do anything to her numb heart to invoke empathy. Death was too close a companion for her to be shocked by it anymore.

"Yup, I'm an ice cold bitch," she sighed. The radio was on, scrambling static. She tried a few more stations before giving up and turning to her iphone for music. She didn't like using it while in the car, but if she set it in the cup holder and closed all the windows, she could hear it perfectly because they weren't really moving.

Sakura wanted to close her eyes and sleep in the shallow pools of the dream world, where nothing could hurt her. A true sleep, a sleep for rest, was out of the question, but she could doze and the nightmares didn't touch her then. Only when she hit REM sleep did she seem in danger.

With a music library as extensive as her memory would allow, Sakura's songs shuffled through from Fiona Apple to the Arctic Monkeys and Vampire Weekend. By the time Bubblegum Bitch by Marina and the Diamonds Sakura was nearly in tears. She wanted to be home in front of her television eating food with her feet up, not struggling to make it to another crummy day in the office. Today was her day for visiting the Orchard, and of course she put it off till the last. Of course she thought nothing of it when she moved her jobs around, so she could visit the one farthest from the city (and closest to her home) last.

"I hate city people," Sakura snarled as Fall Out Boy's whiling anthem about some sugar going down swinging came on. 'A loaded gun complex, cock it and pull it!'

By the time she made it in, she had spent a grand total of ninety minutes in traffic. An hour and a fucking half.

"You look like hell," Becky quipped, nodded at Sakura's dark expression.

"I feel like hell."

"Work shouldn't be too bad today. Take your time. If it's too much, come out and take a break with us," Tyra offered, looking apologetic.

The girls were nice enough, but Sakura really just wanted to get done as soon as possible. She was good about pushing herself. She pushed herself all the time. She pushed herself to do the most simple things. It was hard to imagine not pushing herself.

Setting her things down, Sakura took a chunk of papers and started at the top, flying through the keystrokes and cursing through the slow loading screens. She said a short prayer that she didn't have to use Quickbooks online today, because that program was a nightmare for fast finishers like herself.

She was nearly finished when a new voice froze her.

"Oh, Sakura." She looked up to see Yamato in the doorway. Her face was a perfect mask of indifference. 

"You're in early today," she commented, head tilted to one side, eyes dull but not noticeably.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb your work. I just wanted to say hi, to greet you and…" 

Sakura forced a smile.  "Well then, hello to you, too. I'd ask you how you're doing, but I'm still not close to the end with Root's register reports."

"Maybe I'll see you before you leave." He smiled and it seemed so easy.

"Maybe."

He lingered in the doorway, his shoulders hiked and his hands held in front of his chest, shifting the weight of his body from one leg to the other. A second later he seemed to remember himself and turned to leave. Sakura waited to hear the sound of his footsteps meeting the wood of the front room that was far removed from her little back office.

She turned her attention back to the reports and frowned. They were taking so long, and part of the reason for that was her own exhaustion. Her hands were a little shaky and her arms felt hollow at points, like she wasn't awake enough to fill the ends of her body. Traffic jams and being trapped in her car always made her agitated. She loved driving, but she had to actually be driving, not crawling or parked in the street.

She messed up a few times when the numbers wouldn't balance and had to go back and re-enter the whole day's report from scratch because she couldn't find the error. She wasn't efficient, she was wasting time, she wanted to go home, she wanted her own food, and she wanted to eat it on the couch with The Breakfast Club, or old Buffy reruns.

She flinched when something cold touched the backside of her hand as it was placed atop the mouse pad. She turned and looked up to see Yamato take a step back. 

"You looked like you could use some caffeine. Have you had a break yet?" Sakura blinked, glancing between Yamato and the drink.

"I'm almost done. What did you make?"

"It's a chilled honey pomegranate green tea. The honey is what makes it so popular." He did that thing again when he shifted the weight of his body from one leg to the other, but this time it made him seem more confident, like he was turning over a new hurdle. "Would you like to come out and join the girls and I at the bar? Listening to those two go on might be entertaining enough to ease the knots in your shoulders. Also, state law requires we give all our employees fifteen minute breaks for every four hours worked. You've been here that long."

"I'm sure it's only been three and a half." 

Yamato waved his hand.  "You're stuck working with numbers all day, of course your math is going to suck somewhere. We have fun trivia cards we’re testing for the lounge, you can help us with that if you feel guilty about the legalities of state law since it's still technically work."

A break did seem really nice, even if the thought of being around Yamato still made her nervous, but he wasn't as bad as Genma. No, Yamato was actually a pleasant sort of guy to be in the company of if she didn't think of him as someone who knew she was psychotic. He reminded her of someone who was a mix of Suigetsu and Juugo. He was kind, but also awkward like Juugo, but outgoing and made an effort to be personable and engaging like Karin's boyfriend.

Wordlessly, Sakura picked up her drink and saluted in his direction before following Yamato to the front. The girls and Genma were at the bar, but while Genma was busy stocking the sets underneath the bar, the girls had a box of blank card stock playing cards and a fine point sharpie.

"What are you doing? Are you making the cards?" Sakura asked, sitting down at the bar in front of them. She traced the side of her glass before leaning in and taking the first sip. She felt light and loved in a mouthful. It was good enough to make her smack her lips. Becky smirked at Sakura.

"It's one of our best sellers, that blend. We get the honey locally and it's fan-freaking-tastic. Am I right?"

"I love it," Sakura hummed, taking another long sip. She hadn't been a fan of pomegranate before, but it was a subtle flavor that swam well over her taste buds along with the honey. "What are the cards for?"

"We're making these for our tip jar. We'll rotate them every week, but I saw on Pinterest how a cafe in Seattle started doing this. Here," Tyra held up a card she had been working on. Inked in elegant script that looked like it came straight from a printer was the question 'Who's a better shot?' Two more cards were labeled 'Stormtrooper' and 'Red Shirts.'

"Stormtroopers. That's hardly a fair question. What else you got?"

"We're trying to come up with better ones that haven't been done before," Tyra explained. "A penny for your thoughts?"

Sakura flipped through a few cards and many of them were generic, 'Jaws vs Jurassic Park,' 'Indiana Jones vs Tomb Raider.' 'Han Solo vs Indiana Jones,' and 'Cats, vs Dogs.'

"Instead of cats vs dogs, why don't you make it something like Timber wolf vs Ocelot, some exotic cousins of the domesticated breeds, and to make it different from what others have done before, what about… doing something about local events or something that only people from around here would understand? Aside from Yankees vs. What's going on soon?"

"Woodstock Revival is coming up."

"Oh please," Yamato sighed. "Don't tell me you're one of those revivalists?"

"Woodstock is timeless!" Becky snapped.

"The Renaissance festival is coming up too," Genma offered, joining in. Neither Becky nor Tyra looked tempted. Becky made a face.

"I can't believe you girls," Yamato sighed. "Ren Fest is way more classic than Woodstock, and like, we sell tickets, you can't diss it." Becky made a pinched sort of face.

"I didn't diss it, but I don't think it's worth the twenty two bucks to get in, and you have to pay for every little thing. It's a black hole for your mula!"

"Sakura," Becky and Yamato both turned to face her before Becky finished her sentence. "Where's it at? Where will the most tip money go?"

Sakura calmly sipped her drink. Tyra and Genma didn't seem as heated as Yamato and Becky, but there was definitely some shade being thrown. She took another sip and thought it over before answering.

"Well, I've never actually been to Woodstock Revival, but I have been to the Ren Fest at least once every year for the past six years until this year. So…" She let her words trail off before taking another sip.

Becky rolled her eyes and Tyra smiled at the look that passed between both boys, before they high fived in some silly elaborate bro handshake. Then Yamato froze and turned back to Sakura, falling down to lean against the counter with his arms crossed. His expression was worried.

"Hold up, what did you mean until this year. Aren't you going?" All of Sakura's pauses were filled with a sip of her tea. Soon she wouldn't have sips left, but the best parts were at the bottom. 

"I don't know, maybe. It's like Becky said, it's gotten real expensive and I have a lot of work." Her straw sucked air and she frowned. The empty bottom of her glass stared back up at her. "Ah, it's gone." Yamato was frowning but Sakura ignored it, getting up from her seat while Tyra took her empty glass. 

"Back to work?"

"Yeah, I feel better. I'll have the numbers ready in less than an hour. Thanks for the tea, Yamato, and the break." S

he didn't pause or wait for his reply, but made a beeline straight for her computer and sat down in front of the quickbooks report once more. This time, the numbers were easy and fluid. She was done in half the time predicted. Formatting and printing the new reports took longer than anything else.

By the time Yamato came back with another beverage sample for her to try, she was already gone.

* * *

When Sakura woke up in the dream world, she had to flinch. The light was too bright; she felt burned in the recesses of her eyes. She covered her face with her hands and shielded away before she felt the intensity of the light lessen. When she dared to peak out again, she saw that the word was indeed a blinding white.

She was sitting at a white table that looked to be polished marble. On the table was a single tea cup. The cup was black as Onyx with a gold trim and handle to match her outfit. She was outfitted in a simple black dress with gold embellishments and matching heels. It reminded her of something Alexander McQueen would design.

When she turned her head sideways to look around, she felt the weight of something crown-shaped atop her skull. The world outside was an ocean that stretched forever on one side, and a desert just as equally infinite on the other. Sakura thought of balance.

Hesitating no longer, she reached for the cup and took a sip, flinching slightly.

Honey green tea with just a hint of pomegranate.

"The boy made it too strong. You're not supposed to have any of the fruits compete with the bee's nectar." Hayate was sitting across from her with his legs crossed and a newspaper opened across his knee. Sakura couldn't help but scowl.

"You." Hayate looked up, but his gaze was half lidded and lacking in energy. 

"Me," he echoed, sounding as excited as he looked.

"You left me to die."

"I left you to figure out your own fate. It is not my place to interfere for better or worse, as my predecessors have blatantly failed to do. Neither should have assisted or deterred you in the manner they did."

"Then what are you good for? If you're not here to help or to hurt me, then get up and go. You have no purpose here with me." Sakura felt her scowl stiffen as another wave of anger ran under her skin. "And screw you if I like my tea strong."

"Your emotions are unwarranted in this situation. My purpose is to help weave the narrative. You did so poorly in the last level, I was forced to add an extra car."

Sakura slapped her palm down on the marble, it echoed as loud as it sounded. "You did what?! Why the hell would you do something like that?" Hayate didn't look intimidated.

"You took too long, and you did not manipulate the actors adequately. You hardly tried talking to any of them unless you thought you could get something. Heartless. They were once alive, you know. In this curse, their souls linger without rest. Show an actor care and they will show you the world."

The male then leaned forward to cough mutely before righting himself again. He sounded sick in the lungs, but Sakura couldn't find it in herself to care. Hayate pissed her off more than Sai or Kimimaro ever could.

"I hate you."

Something in her words must have connected with him, since Hayate looked Sakura in the eye just then and frowned. His paper was folded across his knee, no longer open for reading. 

"This world will hurt."

And then he was gone.

Sakura scowled before returning to her drink, tasting the muted pomegranate and roaring honey until all that's left to brush against her lips was a scrap of rolled up parchment that was wholly unnecessary. If Hayate had something nasty to say, he could have just told her to her face. Still, she peeled it free with her fingertips and unrolled it between her fingers.

The Queen will conquer.

"I have little to no idea what that should mean," Sakura said out loud, tossing it back into her teacup.

Without another word, she stood and made for the back of the room where she knew the gate to the next car would be. There was a muted humming all around her as she walked. In the white corners of the wall's molding, she noticed honeycomb patterns made out of glass, but no sign of bees.

It didn't take long to reach the back of the room, making the car much smaller than the one she had been in previously. Instead of a door or gate, a large ornate mirror trimmed in gold stared back at her, showing off her reflection.

In front of the mirror was a short table with a basin in it. Sakura stepped closer to the mirror and the basin to see inside of it. There was a blob of what looked like purple jelly, limp and congealed in the center of the basin, waiting for someone to pick at it with their fingers.

Sakura looked up at her reflection, watching the way she moved in the mirror. From this vantage point she could see her dress better and noticed all the little details of gold sewn into the fabric. It was cinched at the waist and flared wide enough for easy movement. At her waist were large gold bee pins that nearly touched across her tiny waist. There was another gold bee pin above her breast, but this one had amber stones for eyes, and looked ready to fly away at a moment's notice.

The bee details, the humming, the tea. Bees were the theme for this car. What did she know about bees that could help her pass this level? She stared down at the jelly in the basin again and made a face.

In a hive after a queen dies, two rival queens are nursed on royal jelly, destined for a life other than that of the worker. The two Queens then fight for the right to rule the hive until only one remains. This thing in front of her must be the royal jelly. 'The queen will conquer.'

Sakura stuck two fingers into the jelly and lifted them to her lips. It didn't taste much like how she thought jelly should taste. Instead of being sugary with fruit flavor, it felt powdery and cold against the back of her throat. Not caring how odd it tasted, Sakura took another handful and swallowed. Handful after handful, she swallowed it all down until only a stain remained.

The basin groaned and Sakura stepped back as it disappeared into the floor. Now all that remained in the back of the boxcar was the mirror and her reflection. She turned, looking around, searching for her enemy opponent. The buzzing grew louder. She heard a hundred wings, and then a thousand, and then a hundred thousand. It was too loud, they were everywhere.

Sakura spun again, and that's when she noticed it. Her reflection in the mirror hadn't moved. The girl with pink hair and jade eyes was stuck still within the glass while the real Sakura tensed, holding her arms out defensively. The mirror Sakura stepped forward, and the glass was as dense as water when she stepped out. The mirror Sakura breathed deep, and her skin began to break out in black blotches. She breathed deeper still and the blooms of ink over her skin spread until her body was all black at the skin, like it was made from some shadowy substance. The bees on her dress turned black as well while the fabric of her clothes bled to gold. Across her forehead something was written in white.  **Inner Sakura**

'Dark Sakura. Nice touch.'

The evil Sakura raised a hand and a black blade appeared. Sakura did the same, recognizing her old scrimshaw blade. It looked like her other version would know everything the original knew. These types of battles were always fun.

"Sorry, I've had a bad day. I'm not sticking around to play," Sakura hissed, knowing she would have to grow and learn on the spot in order to defeat her opponent. She could do that, she was the original, she could adapt. The copy always loses to the original.

As expected, her darker twin lunged without speaking, waiting no breath on words. Sakura caught the familiar attack easily enough with her old blade, and shifted her shoulders to take the weight. She was smaller, not that strong, so her twin was probably the same way. Same abilities; same weakness. A swarm of bees emerged all around them, circling, cycling, watching and guarding as the two clones battled it out. Their wings were deafening.

Shove and spin, dodge and parry, Sakura knew the steps well. It was terrifying to see everything she tried to do blocked, met, or avoided like it was all predicted. Was she telegraphing her moves too much? What would Kisame do? What would Zabuza say to her? What advice would Haku give?

Sakura cut into another swing, but by the time her blade fell, it wasn't the supple katana it once was. Beyond her sword hand stretched the monstrous blade of Zabuza's butcher style sword. It was enough to overpower her opponent and make an opening that wasn't there before.

"I'll end it," She snarled, sounding more like the bloody demon of the mist and less like her own self. With another shove, the butcher blade severed dream skin and the imposter Sakura was in pieces on the floor, bleeding a blackness across the white tile.

The blood pooled and then slipped away, stretching towards the center of the room where a new dais rose out of the ground. Atop the dais was what looked like a globe not much larger than a man's fist. Knowing it was meant as her next test, Sakura approached it cautiously, her sword shifting back to the slender blade she could let dissolve into dream matter.

The globe was cut into pieces, serrated like an orange. Sakura reached for the globe, and at the warmth of her hand, it whined, shifting into pieces that peeled away and fell limp onto the table top. As the globe split and bloomed open. Sakura heard a grading sound above her and looked to see a chandelier made out of gold and obsidian arrows descend above her. The bees around her were frantic, a few even landed on her body before flying off, as if wanting to warn her of something.

She watched her world, waiting for something to happen, but when nothing did, Sakura returned back to the pieces of the globe that spread out across the surface. She touched one and turned it over. It was a puzzle piece she had to fit back into an original shape, some looked like orange peels and others looked like shards. It was another extensive puzzle.

"A fight to the death isn't good enough, you have to drive me crazy with puzzles and riddles too, don't you?" Sakura huffed. There was a base where the globe needed to go back, so Sakura started looking for those pieces first. It didn't take long before she found one that fit. It looked snugly into place with a click that made Sakura smile.

The bees went wild around her and when Sakura looked up to see why, she was just in time to see one of the golden arrows launch and land between her breasts, just above her heart. She wheezed, nearly screaming. There was shock, but no pain, as the arrow bled lightning veins under her skin like an infection. She staggered a bit, but didn't feel like dying. Was this meant to happen? Every time she got a correct piece she would get shot? How was that fair?

Something in her words must have connected with him, since Hayate looked Sakura in the eye just then and frowned… 

"This world will hurt."

"Of course. Unbiased my ass, he wanted to see me suffer," Sakura coughed, feeling the shaft of her arrow around the entry sight. It was still tender, but it wasn't killing her. At least that much was good.

She returned to the puzzle and began looking for more pieces, and clicked them together to make larger pieces, before slipping them back into the original mold. Once again, she fit in the correct piece with a solid click, and just like before, a golden arrow launched straight for her chest.

But it didn't kill her, so she kept going.

She now had two arrows between her breasts. The third arrow struck her shoulder, and the fourth hit below her lung. Another stuck out of her ribs and another dug underneath her collarbone. Two more in her back, and she was nearly done with half of the puzzle. The more she completed, the more of the original shape she could see. The puzzle was nearly finished, and there were only a few golden arrows left to suffer.

Sakura coughed into her fist, feeling the arrow in her lung sting. She hated how it felt, but it wouldn't kill her, so she added the second to the last piece and shrieked with the arrow nailed her right between the shoulder blades. There were so many through her body now, and some were larger than others. She wondered if they were spears for smaller people.

The last piece in hand, Sakura slid it in and screwed her eyes shut as the last golden arrow shot straight through her heart and emerged out her back. The glass mirror shattered and Sakura felt herself falling through the shards into the next world. Her arrows were made out of bees, and a colony surrounded her like a bed all the way down.

She knew darkness, and the darkness knew her.

* * *

She noticed the bees around her window, and when she went to check, she found a nest hanging in a tree that reached for the second story of her grandmother's home. The bees were timid and shy, making little noise and socializing within sight of the window even less. Maybe they had been there the whole time and only now Sakura noticed them. Maybe it was the same with the deer and the wolves she hears and sees in between the trees when she goes out on walks, when she knows no one is there to ask about it.

The ideas and questions were pushed back to the recesses of her mind and saved for later. She had a long day that she tried to get through as quickly as possible, so that she could come home and binge watch television on the couch with Ami and waffles.

The girls had decided earlier that the cast iron waffle maker from the fifties was in need of some using. Over half a century old and showing no signs of expiring anytime soon, the girls knew a sign when it was presented to them. Karin was supposed to join them, but bailed at the last minute because of Suigetsu stuff.

It was five by the time Sakura got off, and nearly six by the time she got home. She heard voices and noticed a new car in the driveway. Stepping inside, she recognized the sound of Juugo's cheerful tenor.

"Did someone get a new car?" Sakura asked, dropping her keys into the dish by the door and hanging up her purse. She tossed off her sandals without unstrapping them and they fell apart like limp string without the support. Juugo lit up when he heard her voice. 

"You noticed! Isn't it nice? I'm working more and more with my dad in the morning, so I needed something a bit more reliable."

"Construction is brutal this time of year," Sakura groaned, pitying the young boy. His father was in the commercial construction business and had a lot of connections. Juugo worked on and off for the old man, but the hours were brutal and the pair had a falling out a few years back that resulted in Juugo taking time off from his dad's company. Things sounded better now. At least his mother was in the picture anymore.

"I'll be careful. It wasn't that bad in the past. I mean… I'm good with physical labor."

"Still," Sakura gave him a meaningful look. "You're really good at working yourself to the bone. If something was too much for you, you'd never say a word about it. I know you well enough, you stupid bird lover." Sakura lightly flicked her friend on the shoulder and Juugo pretended to wince.

"What are you going to do about it? It's my nature."

"Just make sure to stop in enough so I can see you're really fine. Ah, and speaking of such, you staying for waffles?"

"And movies. Or so that was what I was told." He looked between the two girls. "You decide on something yet?" Ami made a face and pointed at Sakura. 

"No, we're saving Mulan until Chinese night. That's what we said. You can pick something else." Sakura lifted her shoulders and then let them sag.

"You wanna pick, Juugo? Have a crack at Netflix if the DVDs aren't worth mentioning."

Juugo nodded and disappeared into the living room to find something. Ami already had the batter going, so Sakura pulled out the ancient relic and started the waffle iron. Together, the two girls made a mountain of waffles that Juugo came back to help decorate with powdered sugar syrup, whipped cream, and any fruit they wanted. It was a little overkill, but it felt like a long week for all of them, and they needed something nice to give them strength for the next day in the cycle of adult life.

They sat down in front of the television together and ate at the coffee table, making sure to keep the condiments and syrups clear of the furniture like Sakura warned them to. Sakura asked Juugo about his dad and what's changed between them, and he told her about the girlfriend that left his old man and the way she had been too handy with boys half her age. Now his dad is back to his senses, and after a brief break from the dating scene and meeting up with a cute Korean lady who goes to their church. She makes food for him all the time and it's getting to the old man's old, wounded heart.

It was enough to make Sakura smile while Ami turned on the television screen and waited for the fuzzy picture to blow up clear. When it came on, Sakura grinned at the title screen for Captain America.

"How typical," she hummed.

"He's a classic! And besides, you were the one who owed it… collector's edition and everything." Ami joined the conversation with an eye roll. 

"Whatever. I'd be wasting my breath to get into it with you two."

"Please just pass me the whipped cream."

* * *

Oddly enough, the jade hairpin Hinata had passed to her so many cars ago, still remained in her hair. She reached up and fingered the Jade piece. It was there in her hair, pinning down a section of curl. When she woke up in the next car, she felt so much fuller.

'This will be the last level, this is the last car before I reach the locomotive.' She didn't know why, but the thought seemed to come from somewhere other than her. She felt close to the end, like she was just about to break, and this was the last thing she needed to do before she was allowed to fall apart on herself and rest in pieces.

Falling apart was so easy, but she couldn't until she got to a place between dangers. The Place between the Kingdom and the Gate was where she would get her rest. It would likely be the last rest she got in a long while. Every Kingdom had been more intense than the last; the first one had been over a month long, the next had been four times that long.

Sakura turned in her seat to take in the details of her surroundings. She was in a modest little hut built out of bamboo and situated alongside a dirt highway for foot travelers. The wall closest to the highway was gone and replaced with short curtains travelers had to push to the side before entering. It felt like the tea shacks she would stop in when traveling with Kisame. Was she back in Japan?

There were a few other patrons sitting and eating at nearby tables and benches. They all had dark eyes and Asian features, but their clothing didn't seem Japanese. It was more modern with higher collars and buttons. Photos flickered through Sakura's memory and she pictured the exact page in a history book she left open for months on the floor of her high school bedroom. She started reading about the Boxer Rebellion because of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode about Spike's past, and left that passage out to finish once she got the time, and ended forgetting about it until the next semester. A lot of the hairstyles were the same, with a shaved back hairline and a long braid darker than their eyes. Yes, she was in China, and this was the early 1900's.

She looked down at her tea and touched the white porcelain. It smelled strong, and she almost grimaced. Gunpowder tea. How fitting.

So was this before or after the rebellion shifted China into the modern age of a fully embraced westernization? What of the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists? Had the rebels burned the westerners out yet? Had the dynasty of emperors and dowager empresses finally fallen?

A pair of foreign dressed males stepping into the tea shack answered one of her questions. They looked fine enough, but eyed the more traditionally dressed customers wearily. Sakura noticed a table towards the back where Chinese men sat in western suites and spoke about business. Still, was this before or after the bloodshed?

Sakura took her tea to her lips and tipped it back, swallowing more of the bitter drink in one chug than she should have. No one noticed her that much though, so she chugged again and again until the dark stuff was gone, and all that remained was a parchment at the bottom of her cup. She picked it apart with her fingers and read it carefully.

No more kings.

'They never make sense, why should this one?' Sakura grumbled in her mind. Did that mean the line of Emperors was finished? Was there an enemy or an ally who had once been king? China didn't have a king. China was an empire.

"I'm so glad to hear about the rebuilding efforts!" a loud voice boomed in stiff English. The Chinese men in business suits were standing, greeting the new guests. "We will have the best business by the end of the month. They will work hard for you."

Rebuilding efforts. After the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists rebelled, their cause burned the western details off the face of China's geography until their cause was stopped by opposing forces, and formally squashed. Afterwards, the Chinese government did away with the Dowager Queen and paid the foreigners back for their losses, helping the tradesmen rebuild what had been destroyed.

At least, that was how she remembered it. It's been years since she cracked a history book. The details were hazy. She couldn't remember what happened to the royal line or the finer details, she just remembered really liking Buffy the Vampire Slayer and shipping Buffy with Spike so hard it made her best friend scream in frustration whenever the Angel x Buffy ship came up in conversation. Sakura preferred Spike, and apparently he killed his first slayer in China during the Boxer rebellion or something like that. Sakura was weirdly motivated to do things during high school. She was into roller derby of all things. There wasn't a lot of thought being diverted to her logic generators.

Sakura decided not to think about it, and rubbed her fingers together until gold coins fell between them. She dropped the three pieces to the table and stood, turning to leave. There were no actors here, it would be a waste for her to sit around and wait.

Her clothing was more eastern than western, but not something that would attract attention. Simple black slippers, gray loose pants, and a matching shirt that kept close to her neck made her look like a part of the scenery. No one looked at her when she left and turned down the road towards what she hoped was a city. It was difficult to decide which way to go, because either way was a mystery to her, and the way Hayate was setting the words up, she needed to not waste time on mysteries.

It turned out she didn't need to go far. An actor met her on the road, stretching out alongside the dirt path with a lopsided sort of expression that seemed pleased by default. He grinned brightly at a man who passed him and wished him well, even when the traveler didn't bother to turn his head or say hello back. Still, the actor kept smiling and wished the traveler extra health and happiness.

She met him only once, but the memory stuck. 

"Rock Lee." He responded to the name like a puppy would. Turning, his eyes grew wide and his grin stretched wider.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, jumping up. "It is I, the magnificent Green Beast Rock Lee, in youthful exuberance! How may I assist the angel of the roads who knows my name?" He bowed low and Sakura almost laughed. His green colored sleeves were too long for his hands while his pants were tucked into orange leg warmers that clashed awfully with his sandals.

Sakura stuttered in her mind, scrambling for a response after gagging on the death of fashion in this young boy. 

"I know you only by reputation. I think we've met only once before. My name is Sakura." She held out a hand. Lee's bright grin dropped so suddenly it was enough to make Sakura flinch when he collapsed to his knees in an overly dramatic wail of anguish and tears. 

"Alas no! I am a disgrace to the men who live with unfaltering eyesight! Oh, to be in such shame, I can not bear it! To have met an angel as radiant as yourself and not remember? I am a failure as a human being! Forgive me fair lady, though I do not deserve it!"

He bowed low and Sakura felt embarrassed for him. At least they were alone on the road.

"I… that's okay. We, I mean, you wouldn't remember me from back then. I was very different from who and what I look like now. You do not need to ask for my permission." Lee looked up at her with tears still in his eyes, but there was something else. There were stars dusting his gaze as he stared up at her in wonder. 

"You are truly divine, to forgive one as lowly as me. Tell me how I may be of service to you. I am your humble servant."

"Oh, thank you. I just need help finding something. Do you know the area well? It's a structure made out of Onyx- the black stone stuff. Last time it was a door, but it's been a gate before, and it can be a tower sometimes too. Does that sound familiar to you?"

"A black tower made of such a lovely stone… a marvel it must be, though the worthless me has failed to know of it. I beg your forgiveness." He looked ready to grovel and wail again but Sakura hurried to stop him, waving and jumping forward.

"No, no, no, it's okay! I-I don't even know what it looks like, of course that would be weird to ask someone. Don't think less of yourself for it. I'm just glad you wanted to help. That's enough for me."

"Have others been less than helpful to your beautiful self?" Lee looked puzzled.

"Ah, no, many people have been helpful, it's just that not everyone will talk to me or I to them. I only called out to you because I thought you looked… honest. Thanks for wanting to help me."

"What a divine being, such purity! Alas, I can not give you the answers you so desire, however I will not taste defeat this day! I know of men who will help us and I will take you to them. They who know this land better than the birds will surely be the people you seek, and I am best friends with their leader's son. They will help us if I ask!" That sounded like more actors. Sakura felt her insides lighten. Things were moving in the right direction. 

"That's great, Lee. Thank you."

He reached for her hand, and she let him take it. She thought he would just be guiding her in the right direction, but once his hand was around hers, he tugged, and Sakura stumbled forward and landed on his back. He might have said something about hanging on, but she didn't hear because in the next second, they were airborne- or that's what it felt like. Lee was carrying her on his back, and Rock Lee was fast. There were people who were typically fast, and then there were people who were Olympic level fast, and neither could hold a candle to Rock Lee's fast. Was he using chakra or something? Did this world have magic? She squeezed him around his shoulders, trying harder to stay secure on his back when she felt her body start to slip. Rock Lee used one arm to reach behind her and keep Sakura pinned against his back.

After a while they stopped, and Sakura dared to peek over his shoulder before she felt him shift upwards. She slid off and onto her feet with ease, but wobbled a bit. Lee was just as attentive as ever, and used both arms to help her steady. She smiled in thanks, but didn't trust her voice. She still suspected Lee was some sort of inhuman creature to have run as fast as he had.

"These are the lands that belong to the Hyuga branches. They are all that is left of a once noble house. My friend is currently the clan head, but that is only because the Main Family was put to death during the uprising." Sakura swallowed, trying to ignore the name Lee dropped.

"You mean the Boxer Rebellion?" Lee nodded.

"It's been a few years, but because of that, the world is now a more favorable place to things like my friend Neji."

Sakura shut her eyes and exhaled, recognizing how unlikely it was to never have to see Neji again in the dream world. Sasori showed up again, so of course others like Hidan, Itachi, and Neji would make it to the next world. Would he remember her? Pein never remembered her, not even at the end of it all. Hidan and Itachi had dreams, but they were the only ones, and those weren't even real memories. Didn't Hayate say something about that being against the rules for the role holders in the game?

"Sakura?" The called upon girl looked up, blinking rapidly to dispel the worries from her thoughts. 

"Yes?"

"You looked displeased. Are the Hyuga not people you would be willing to meet with? I assure you, they are not intimidating once you get to know them."

"I-I'm sure I'll be fine. I don't want to impose on them though. If they're willing, will you let them know I have money and can pay them?" Lee smiled wide before patting her hand the way an adult would to a child. 

"A word from me and the favor is sealed. Please put your money away, I only wish to be of help to you."

"That's needlessly kind of you," Sakura admitted, as he took her hand and walked her down the rest of the way to what looked like a small village that was sparsely populated with men, women and children who were all dressed in shades of gray and white traditional garb. They looked up as soon as the pair stepped onto their lands, and Sakura recognized the moon-like qualities of their eyes. They all had the same eyes, and all the same eyes were staring at her. What would it be like when those eyes belonged to Neji.

"Rock Lee."

Sakura froze beside her friend. She was about to find out. Lee was a firework of smiles as he jumped to embrace his friend in an overly familiar hug. 

"Neji! You are just the man I wished to see, come let us spar for old time's sake or prove our worth in a glorious display of youthful racing around the compound! I miss your company greatly, as all other challenges to my greatness fail to meet your excellent standards."

Neji pushed Rock Lee off before looking over at Sakura. When he spoke, his eyes were still on her, but his words were meant for Lee, dry and droll as they were. 

"I do not have the time to be recklessly casual with my days like others. Is there a reason you have come to me or must I direct you back to our teacher for further annoyances?"

He was dressed in more western clothes, with a waistcoat and matching trousers, but over all that, a loose robe fell down his back from where it draped around his shoulders like something he threw on at the last minute without a thought. Sakura thought it was odd, but didn't dwell on the thought. His hair was neatly combed and pulled back into a low ponytail that ended in the middle of his back, longer than Sakura's hair ever was.

"Ah!" Rock Lee exclaimed with a thoughtful smile. "Might Guy would be an excellent person to visit, but that must wait for another day. I have brought forth an angel who found me on the road and sought out my help! In my weakness, I seek your help to aid her endeavors."

"And I can pay you for the trouble," Sakura interjected, before Lee could say more. The way Neji kept staring at her made her feel uncomfortable, especially since he hadn't said anything to her yet. She didn't bother feeling bad about the way Lee's smile dropped a bit when she mentioned paying.

When Neji's lips parted and his voice spilled out, every word carried a different breath with it. His question was slow, measured and calculated. Sakura felt small and exposed by his words. 

"What is it you need help with?"

"Would you not rather invite us in or do you always conduct your business in the street?" Rock Lee sighed, swinging another arm around Neji's shoulders. "Ten Ten would be disappointed with your lack of hospitality."

"You and your guest may join me inside then," Neji consented, glancing briefly at Rock Lee before his gaze was back on Sakura, the way metal was on a magnet. He turned and started heading towards one of the larger residents, pushing back a sliding door and stepping up and out of his shoes to cross the polished wood floor to a quieter room that was already set up with tea for two. A maid was quick to prepare a third cup when she spotted Sakura at the back of the group, whispering her apologies while backing away. Rock Lee raised a single brow. 

"You have servants now."

"The main family members who were not executed were given to the branch members as indentured servants. It was not my decision, but one agreed upon by the two parties along with the law." He pointed to the table with the teacups still warm. The house seemed old, traditional, and stiff with tradition. Things like the western art on the walls, the Oak desk in the adjacent room, and Neji's waistcoat stood out. When he spoke again Sakura knew it was meant for her more than Rock Lee. "Please sit."

Sakura folded herself neatly and sat down next to Rock Lee and across from Neji. When she reached for the tea, she smelled the strong scent before she could even pick it up. Gunpowder tea, how fitting.

"To properly introduce myself, my name is Neji and I am of the Hyuga clan, and it's current second in command. The head is my father. And you are?"

"Sakura Haruno. I'm… nobody special. Just someone passing through, but there is something I'm looking for that Lee thought you might know about." Neji inclined his head, gesturing for her to go on. She swallowed, but found the right words somehow. 

"It's a structure that would be covered or made out of black onyx. Sometimes there's a black tower with it too. Have you ever heard of anything like that?"

The way Neji's eyes narrowed, she guessed he had. He was an actor in this narrative for a reason. He was going to be her guide and show her the way. She could see how this story was going to play out, she was so close to the end. Suddenly Neji didn't make her so nervous anymore.

"What is your interest with such a place?" he asked her, his words still as slow and deliberate as ever.

"It is a key in helping me find my way home." It was as close to the truth as she could dare while still making some sense.

"That is all?" Sakura licked her lips, finding them suddenly dry. 

"It's important that I find it. I don't care for money, so I could pay you whatever you wished."

"And you have such money how? Please consider that you haven't heard my price. You don't know how expensive it can be, the economy is desperate and the buds of business will be planted in this new house, have I any say in it." He turned his head to the side, towards Rock Lee, but his eyes remained on her. "I've come into a position of greater importance and must show such post-due responsibility. I am no longer the youth you ran through the forest with. Some of us have to grow up with the times and become what we were meant to be."

"You're not too busy to help an old friend, are you?" Rock Lee asked, sounding a little wounded. Neji blinked and looked to the other male, leaving Sakura to feel free to let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. 

"This would be a business venture. Nothing more."

"That's fine," Sakura cut in, "I understand the position you must find yourself in, and please know I never expected it to be anything less. If you can help me find this place and reach it, money won't be an object. I would be eternally grateful."

For a minute no one spoke. Neji mutely observed Sakura while his friend and the only other male in the room glanced nervously back and forth between the two of them. It was apparent Lee was not comfortable with the drawn out silence, because his knees began to bounce slightly in agitation. He appeared to be a young man older than eighteen at the very least, but he was acting like a giddy teenager. As for Neji, his persona was that of an old man's, though he only seemed to be a few years older than Rock Lee. Sakura would guess he was around twenty five based on the way his face and figure was filled out. He still had the faint lingerings of youth, but maturity seemed to have set in. He carried his age in his shoulders. Finally, the older of the two males decided to open his mouth and speak. 

"This is a matter I must consult with my father. I will share with him your concerns and generous offer, but make no promises. In the meantime, Chi Lin will show you to a guest room where you may stay until we have reached our decision. Rock Lee, you are welcome to stay as well, but you have your own quarters in the branch houses."

"How soon will you have a decision?" Rock Lee asked, sounding more excited about what Neji would say than even Sakura.

The maid from before came back, and Sakura stood when the older woman gestured for her to do so. Without a word, the wizened woman turned and began heading out of the room. Sakura looked back, checking to see if either of the two males would follow or say something to her as she left, but neither looked like her leaving inspired them to any level of action.

Sakura followed the woman named Chi Lin to the back of the house and into a small sized room. It wasn't extravagant, there was a bed with a trunk and a small chest of drawers that looked uniquely european and out of place with the rest of the room. Before Sakura could turn to thank the older woman, there was no one behind her. Sakura stepped outside and saw the retreating figure of the mute woman turning down the hall.

Where did that leave her? Sakura meant to ask the woman something and hopefully get some information about what she needed to do next. There was still too much time left for her in this one dream, and she felt too tense to just go to sleep and force the next cycle. It was close to dusk in this world, but that didn't mean much to her. What was she supposed to do now?

There was a mirror on the wall, so she stood in front of it and looked at her dress over one more time. She wanted to change it, something less drab, but nothing that would make her stand out. The Hyuga wore a lot of gray and white, the same as her own outfit. She blinked and her trousers were a smoky navy color. She meant to change her top but she paused, having felt something in her chest flicker.

Her heart rate increased and the breath in her lungs became tight. Was that…? She tried to change her shirt as well, changing it's color, and when the white turned navy there was no mistaking it this time.

Chakra.

She could feel the magic she manipulated when in the dream world. It hadn't felt like that when she was in the Indian world with Omoi, or when she was passing through any of the other monster box cars. Why was this one different?

She backtracked to the bed and folded her legs up into a lotus position that made it easier for her to concentrate. Haku taught her how to finely channel her chakra into her nose and eyes to heighten her sight or sense of smell, or whatever it was she wanted at one time. Now she wanted to be able to hear a butterfly's wing beat across the ocean, or more specifically, the two boys who she left behind in the other room.

Closing her eyes, she felt the river of energy in her own body and dipped into it, smiling when she felt how warm and comforting it felt to use again. Lee and Neji weren't in the same room as before, but she heard their voices and their footsteps circling the building outside from on the porch. After she picked up the first few words she smiled, realizing why she was still in the dream world.

"…Is the Estate so in need of finances that you would act so callously to a guest?"

"Your guest is a stranger in my house. I don't care how lovely or enchanting a woman she is, I have a family of needs I must put ahead of my own. I can not trust the first pair of pretty eyes off the street like some men can."

"You admit her eyes are radiant."

"I did not say that."

"You said she was enchanting," Lee chuckled. Neji made a sort of displeased grunt before speaking again.

"Regardless, I can not be so cavalier with your friends. I have responsibilities, and father might not be interested in looking up the main family's secrets so soon. It's suspicious to ask for something so specific."

"I thought her request sounded vague."

"I recognized it, but she's too late. The temple has been desecrated by grave robbers and the raw materials stolen to make gods-know-what. After the rebellion, many men lost their livelihoods and turned to a life of crime when it looked like things weren't going to get better."

"What will you tell Sakura, then?"

"I told her I would speak with my father first, and that is what I intend to do. We can take her to the ruins but if the raw materials are what she wants…" Rock Lee hummed in consideration before saying anything more.

"She mentioned a door."

"I don't know about that. The Obelisk was the only thing in that temple, and it was broken down into pieces. Maybe the thieves used it to create a door, maybe she is a fool and knows nothing of what she asks."

"I really hope you will help her. She seems like such a kind person, and I was really happy when she saw me and called out to me on the street. It… I am always pleased to meet new and kind people, but Sakura made me a new kind of pleased. I felt important when she called out to me."

There was silence as the pair walked and then Lee laughed. Sakura heard a scuffle that sounded like shoes in the gravel and dirt skidding to a stop.

"You felt something too. What was it like for you, Neji?"

' _It's because I'm the dreamer and you're both actors,'_ she grumbled in her head.

"I felt a terrible sense of dread and awe in her presence. Please do not bring this up again."

"Why? You were always the one obsessed with fate, and the one who said everything we did was always predestined and the wheel of fate would not yield to-"

"Rock Lee." Neji sounded majorly annoyed.

"Well it wasn't Tenten!"

"I know what I've said in the past. I'm asking you to not repeat it. Please… as a courtesy."

"So… what are you going to do now?"

"I will see my father. We will meet with her again in the morning. You should leave now, she'll need entertainment if she isn't asleep. I don't want her sneaking off in the night or snooping through our properties. We will speak more of this in the morning, now go."

* * *

Sakura gasped, bringing her face up out of the water. It dripped from her nose and chin, splashing into the basin below. Looking up, she saw herself in the mirror without make up after a face scrub. Her cheeks were as red as the rest of her face. Sakura turned to the side and raked her nails through her hair. Her roots were stark now. Before, when her hair was long, they were subtle, but she let them go for too long and now it was obvious she wasn't a natural pink head. (Her friends would be so shocked!)

She leaned in closer and pulled at a strand that was completely silver. Most of her mom's family went gray early, but you couldn't always tell because they all started out as platinum as the cusp of a wave's foam. Bleached blond down to their eyelashes, Sakura inherited part of that, but thankfully not the pale eyelashes. Her hair had been blond up till middle school when she suddenly 'silvered out,' as the old folk called it. (Damn puberty.) Her body became incapable of producing color for her hair follicles due to a lovely combination of stress and genetics. If she hadn't started to dye, she would look like an old grandma.

"Are you going to stay with pink or do something new?" Ami asked from the doorway. Sakura looked up, surprised.

"How long have you been standing there?" 

Ami shrugged.  "A minute? What are you going to do?"

"I've always had pink hair, but sometimes I used other colors. I don't know what to do this time."

"Why not just let it go natural. Silver is in." 

Sakura winced.  "No. I don't like looking like a sick person any more than I already do."

Sakura opened the mirror and inside was a short, fat container of Shocker Pink hair dye alone with a tiny bottle of Neon Lightning Blue. She held the two up and smiled at Ami. 

"Wanna help me mix it? The blue's to help keep it balanced."

"You don't have work today?"

"Not today." Sakura grinned.

When she woke up it was early morning, and Rock Lee was already outside running laps around the entire compound 'in the name of youth.' Sakura almost winced when she saw the jumpsuit type outfit he was wearing. It didn't seem appropriate for the time era or any era at all.

"It's hideous," she said out loud, knowing Neji was behind her, watching her watch Rock Lee run his laps.

"It's worse when there are two of them wearing the same thing." Neji took a few hesitant steps to stand parallel with her on the porch, but he remained over an arm's reach away. She couldn't reach him if she tried. Was that intentional?

"What did your father have to say about my proposal? Would it be sound business, or do I have to leave?" Sakura asked, turning away from Neji to look out over the railing. She didn't want to mention anything that might make it sound like she had been eavesdropping. (She had, but that wasn't the point.)

"There are two things you must consider. First of these is that the site you want me to take you to has been vandalized, and the artifacts and treasures that made it so unique are no longer within it. Secondly, there are monsters that protect such sacred sites, making them dangerous to visit."

"If the Obelisk is no longer at the site, why would anyone want to visit it if it's still dangerous?" Sakura asked, inwardly pleased that Neji had been honest with her.

"Because your true objective is the Obelisk. True, it no longer remains there, however, the monster who guards the shrine will know their face. If we beseech him, the answers we need are not beyond our reach."

"If that's all you needed to do, why didn't you ask the monster sooner?" Neji reached up and ran a finger underneath the cloth bandages that covered his forehead.

"I am not a member of the Main Family. As a branch member, the monster will not speak with me or any of my rank. That means fighting it and gaining it's respect. I do not wish to risk my life for something so trivial as a clue to an ancient artifact that's likely been passed halfway around the country. There are more important ways I can risk what's left of my life."

A monster that protects secrets. That sounds like a mini boss in a video game. Sakura recognized what she needed to do. She would have to try and best the monster and get Neji and Lee to help her track down the clues. Of course. Sakura shifted the weight of her body from one leg to the other and turned to face Neji, even though he wouldn't look at her today. 

"If you are still willing to show me the way, I'll take my chances with the monster. If I get those answers, would you be interested in tracking down the stolen artifacts?"

"That is the opinion of my father and the other elders of our branch family. There are a few artifacts we value over others. The Obelisk, or what remains of it, does not concern us. You may do what you will with it if we are able to obtain our relics."

She had a feeling he wasn't going to go into much more detail than that. Whatever it was that he and his clan were after, it didn't sound like he was willing to share that information with her. It made sense, they didn't know her well enough to trust her. For all they knew she was a thief out for their goods.

"Are you going to be the one who takes me to these sacred sites?" Sakura asked, looking Neji over. His attire was different from yesterday's. Yesterday he had been far more western in his dress, while today he went for a more traditional look with a pearl and gray, ankle length Changshan and matching pants. His manner of dress suited travel better than the waistcoat from yesterday.

"That is the request of my father, that I escort you personally. Unfortunately, that means Rock Lee will have to join us, as he is incapable of letting me leave for anywhere without his company, should he learn of my plans."

It sounded like there was a bit of a story behind his words, and Sakura suspected Neji and Rock Lee had a history that stretched back into childhood. As stiff and imposing as Neji seemed at first, he was almost approachable when Lee came around to put a hand on the Hyuga boy's shoulders and tap into his ear about youthful things like 'fighting' and 'honor' and 'youth.' Sakura was almost tempted to ask him about it, but held her tongue. For some reason she didn't think it was the time.

"The monster," she chose to lead in with, "What can you tell me about him? If it guards your temple it should be something you're at least familiar with, if not intimately knowledgeable of. I'll be fighting it, so I'd like to know as much as I can before I risk my life for a silly clue."

"The Hyuga were one of the four oldest clans in all of China. We were a noble house, and our guardian god was the White Tiger of the West, Byakko. The 'monster' that guards our temple is the foot soldier to Byakko, a great white tiger lord with the knowledge of a hundred scribes. How he was bested in the first place I do not think I will ever know. You will be in danger, this is no simple task you set out for. You may die."

"I've heard that before." Sakura couldn't help but grin.

"I assure you, whatever trials you've faced, they could not compare you for the tiger lord's wrath. There is no dishonor in turning away from a fight you did not provoke."

"Is this because I'm a girl, or do you just not want to take anyone to the site?"

He almost looked at her in the eye, but didn't. While yesterday he watched her with the intensity of focused burn, today he couldn't meet her eyes for whatever reason. It was obvious now how he took pains to avoid looking at her. When he spoke his tone was muted, if not a bit quieter. 

"You are not married. A husband would not approve of this."

"No, I've had to explain this before, but I'm not married, I'm not widowed, I'm not promised to anyone. I'm unapologetically free to risk my life as I see fit. Oh, and no family here, either."

"Why is there no one? Could you not afford a dowry without a father or mother to help?"

Did they still pay dowries in 1900's China? Did it matter if this was still just a dream world created out of what she subconsciously knew?

"Did you miss the part where I mentioned no family in this area?" Sakura asked in a light tone, keeping her sarcasm playful. Hopefully he didn't misinterpret her words as biting. "And besides… there isn't… or hasn't been any reason to discuss a dowry." She wrinkled her nose at the last part.

"I apologize if I was too forward."

"It's fine," she replied, deflating a bit. "It seems like the sort of thing guys want to ask about all the time. Why I'm still single, why I'm doing this, why I'm not choosing a different life for myself, why I'm not a homemaker, why I'm not with my parents. They're all versions of the same question, but I never have a good enough answer."

"And what is the original question that all others are imitators of?" Neji made an effort to look up and give her some of his direct attention. She didn't say anything until he looked over at her and got caught in her line of sight. Only when she knew she had the entirety of his attention did she bother to answer. 

"What am I doing here?" 

Rock Lee chose that time to interrupt, jumping down onto the railing between the two of them with a laugh. His smile was nearly blinding as he grinned wide. 

"Are you ready to depart or are we eating first, my youthful friends!" he cheered.

Neji groaned under his breath, pushing off from the railing and turning away. Sakura took that as her cue to follow him, but not before she tugged on Lee in an inviting way, encouraging him to trail behind the two of them.

Hyuga were a people of few words. Together, Sakura ate with Neji, his father, and Rock Lee, but the only person who seemed to talk was Lee. After breakfast, Neji's father gave his son some supplies and a word of farewell before the younger Hyuga grabbed a knapsack and started walking out of the compound with his companions close behind.

The ground sloped upwards, and after a while Sakura began to feel the weight of her body as she followed Neji up the sometimes steep incline. They were traveling further and further away from the valley where many homes and compounds dotted the landscapes, and deeper into the secluded wilds of the mountains. It felt like forever, but for a while the trio traveled in silence, keeping a quick pace that never slowed down enough to be considered a walk. They took a couple of breaks, but those didn't last long, especially because Sakura didn't tire and neither male wanted to look more needy than the token female of the group.

Before too long, Sakura noticed a shift in the air. She turned to look behind her and noticed a subtle layer of mist clinging to the ground, still too thin and transparent to be noticeable unless you were looking for it. The higher they climbed the thicker it got, until it reached a consistency that remained constant from that point onward. It wasn't bad enough that she couldn't see her companions in front of her, but if Neji chose to dash out and away from the group, he would be gone in two leaps. Subconsciously, Sakura made an effort to stay closer to her guide.

"We're almost there," Neji intoned, slowing down and stepping onto a hidden path that curved upwards into stone stairs. The mist lessened, and visibility increased enough that when Neji stopped leading, Sakura was able to keep going.

At the end of the path, the peaked edges of a modest temple came into sharp contrast with the surrounding area. There wasn't a lot to it. There was an arch, some more stone steps, and a square shaped house with a traditional slanted tile roof. If Sakura had stumbled across it on her own, she would have never suspected it of being a place where objects of great value were hidden.

Neither Neji or Rock Lee dared approach any further, both feeling the bad vibes the temple was sending off. 

"Is this it?" Sakura asked, stopping just in front of the arch.

"I can go no further. I was not born to the main house, the tiger lord will not recognize my authority," Neji answered. Lee took a breath, preparing to give a long winded speech that was flush with smiles.

"Fear not, dear maiden, for what I lack I shall-"

"No, Rock Lee," Sakura cut in, "I think I have to do this on my own. If I need your help I'll let you know, but I should take responsibility for this, not you. I mean, you've already gone out of your way to help me."

"But-"

This time it was Neji who cut Lee off, and it was with a look, not a word. Rock Lee wilted a bit, disappointed in his rejected offer of help. She could tell that a lot of his personality was devoted to being helpful and willing to assist others.

"But you don't even have a weapon. Take my- oh, um, I have a lute and a bag of beans, a comb, and some nunchucks. Do you know how to use nunchucks?"

"Lee, believe in me. I'll be fine, and I do have a weapon, it's just small."

Sakura didn't wait for Lee to come up with another reason to keep her distracted. She turned and walked right under the arch, trespassing into the domain of the temple. There was a snap in the air, and the atmosphere changed dramatically with the wind. Mist shimmied upwards, twisting into a funnel where a figure grew out of it. Humanoid with arms and legs, Sakura tensed as the man dressed in ornate robes took a step into the clearing.

He looked like a man, but Sakura knew he wasn't human. Whatever he was, it wasn't natural.

"Leave." His voice was a growl, and Sakura felt the tip of her spine send shivers all up and down her back bones. She clenched her fist, getting ready to summon her bone handled sword. 

"Not until you tell me who robbed this place and stole the black stones."

The figure twitched, tilting his head upwards and angling it so he could glare down the length of his nose. Where his eyes should have been, a scar colored black and dark blue coated his sockets. The black scar ran like lightning across the exposed areas of his body. 

"You are not of the family. You are not welcome here. Leave or I shall kill you."

Sakura took that as a good enough cut to summon her weapon. It materialized out of thin air, comfortable and familiar under her calloused fingers. 'Every part of you needs to hold the sword, not just your hands,' Zabuza barked in her mind. She followed his mental advice and let the old form take over her.

"Sorry, but I'm the one that's going to make the demands here. Tell me who robbed the temple." There was no more arguing. Seemingly resigned to the inevitable, the man shifted into a more relaxed stance and held up his hands. 

"You will die."

Sakura cursed, bringing her sword up to block the body of an overgrown, white tiger with black scars for eyes. Even blind, it was deadly accurate, and out for her blood. He was fast too, almost fast enough to make her worry. In other lands he might have been too fast, but in this dream, in this gate, and in this car in particular, she had chakra to manipulate. Stemming it into her legs, she was as fast as she was strong.

'Elbows,' Kisame barked, and she lifted the corners of her arms to make the swing tighter. The white tiger was back to being a man, but this man wielded a philosopher's sword, short and folded neatly into a sharp edge. Her sword was better, and she was nearly faster. The warnings from before sounded silly in her mind now. Dangerous? This monster wasn't any worse than Orochimaru or the Elephant Wolf. She was better than this. She was better than him.

The tiger man from the mist hissed, and the black stuff over his eyes spread thicker across his face. When he charged again, he was faster still, making Sakura work to save her life. The thicker the black stuff on his body, the more power he seemed to have, and his scars were growing.

Monster or not, Sakura summoned another blade into her opposite hand and threw it into the body of the tiger guardian. It hit meat and stuck into his body, but the blood was thin and not enough to make Sakura think it was a wound she could be proud of.

"Leave." The command was echoing around them. "You will die."

"Yeah, no," Sakura grumbled, righting herself and summoning another petite knife from seemingly inside her shirt.

This knife flew just as true as the first, but her opponent wasn't the type to be tricked by the same thing twice. He caught it with the gauntlet of his wrist and sent it bouncing off into the trees behind him, but that was all Sakura needed to find an opposing angle. Coming in close, she was able to land a hit into his side, but in her eagerness to seize opportunity, she missed the fist swinging towards her.

He took her sword in the arm, but countered with a fist of stone that sent her flying backwards towards the archway. She fell onto her back, rolled, and smacked against the post that made up the archway. Her mind was a mess. She was seeing poppies and stars all at once.

She heard Rock Lee and Neji both cry out her name, and some shuffling. When she looked up, Rock Lee was beside her and Neji was standing defensively in front of her.

"No!" she snapped, teetering to her feet. She stumbled back down onto her knees, but Lee caught her before her face could hit the dirt. She growled, punching the ground before attempting to stand once again, and this time she didn't tip. "This is my fight, the two of you need to stay back." 

"You may be skilled, but you only have one life and one body to lose. You are at a disadvantage, as your opponent is not mortal of flesh. He will not suffer as you suffer." Neji's voice was cold but serene at the same time.

"Boss battles are usually like that," she grumbled to herself before facing him again. "I get it. I'm at a disadvantage, but that's how it always is for me. I make up for what I lack by being smart. I can do this, trust me. I know I can win, you just need to let me."

"But Sakura…" Lee sounded wounded. "You're already so hurt."

"I'll heal, don't take this away from me. Please, I need to do this alone. He won't give us the answers we need if it isn't through single combat, you said that yourself, Neji." The Hyuga boy said nothing, but he lowered his hands and took a step back, standing beside her. He looked sideways and she forced a look of determination onto her features. 

"Lee, we're drawing back for now, but if we think we need to, we will step in."

"Neji!" Lee looked ready to protest, but a sharp glare from the older male cut off any potential protest. Lee pressed his lips into a tight, thin line and then nodded at Sakura. "We're here if you need us," he whispered, before turning and following Neji out.

Sakura stalked off to the side and picked up her sword from where it landed when she was thrown back. When she looked up, the Tiger Lord was in his beast mode again, licking the wound on his leg. When it saw her advance, it shook before opening its jaws wide and roaring loud enough to stir winds into a frenzy around her. Sakura grunted, nearly knocked off her feet again. When the sound cut off, she looked up and was barely in time to block the jaws snapping for her face.

She didn't want to let it show, but she was in pain and she was still a little dizzy. If she lived to see the morning, she would have a killer headache and maybe a concussion, but she was going to live, because this wasn't a place she could die. Not here in a little no-name world, before even reaching the Kingdom of Monsters. Sai believed in her, and this wasn't where her story ended.

Sakura felt heat on the side of her head, but it wasn't the painful kind of heat she had come to expect of head wounds. She reached up and felt the jade dragon Hinata had given her way back in one of the first box cars. It was warm, hot even.

Sakura backtracked to put distance between herself and the monster, feeling the heat grow more demanding above her left ear. At a safe distance, she reached up and curled her fingers around the jade dragon. It burned her fingers, melting at the touch and Sakura felt it inside of her. It roared through her body, dominant and powerful, not willing to let anything or anyone stop or alter its course. Like a real dragon, it was a power that terrified Sakura.

Sakura almost screamed, paralyzed with the phantom in her body, and the Tiger Lord took this as an opportunity to strike again. Sakura saw him coming, but couldn't get her body to move in time. Lee and Neji screamed something and her body snapped.

She was there and then she wasn't. She was in front of the tiger and then she was behind it, just like that. Faster than the eye, she was somewhere new. Sakura felt herself move, raising her scrimshaw sword up over her head. Under her hands, the white bone began to crystalize in parts and grow jade along the hilt. She felt the extra force in it now. Screaming for victory, she swung, and her blade passed clean through the tiger's body with an arch of healing green light.

There was dust and then there was smoke, as the body of the animal became pure white. The wound her blade left glowed green and the dark parts of his body shriveled up and fell clean off. In a burst that forced her back, the body of the Tiger Lord was restored and in his place stood a man with lovely golden eyes and a clean face. Whatever had tainted him earlier was gone now.

"You have my gratitude, woman who wields the Emperor's Jade." The Tiger Lord bowed slightly before locking eyes with her again. "What is it you desire?" She suddenly felt hesitant. Things fell into place too easily. 

"Do I have your respect?"

"Yes." Again he repeated the words he said before. "What is it you desire?" Sakura glanced down at the sword in her hand, taking note of the patches where Jade grew like moss accenting the designs and coloring the spaces between wolves and scorpions. 

"I need to find the Obelisk. The black stone, the onyx relic you once guarded, it was stolen by thieves from this site. Neji is a Hyuga and will make all efforts to regain the other sacred relics for this temple, but we need to know where the thieves took everything, and who they were. You were attacked, you should know how to describe them or let us know somehow."

From behind, Sakura could feel Neji and Lee approach with caution. The Tiger Lord paid little mind to Rock Lee, but set his attention on Neji, surmising the worth of a Hyuga who was of the main house. Before the Tiger Lord could say anything, Sakura interjected. 

"There are no more Hyuga of the main house. Branch family members are all that survived the rebellion. Neji is as close as you can get to being someone worth serving."

"I hear and I obey." He ducked his head again, this time towards Neji. Sakura didn't miss how the bow he had shown her had been much deeper. "The answers you seek…" He held out two fingers, pointed towards Sakura's face. She felt inclined to approach him, and when she did, his hand reached out, fingers brushing against her forehead.

Sakura felt her mind unravel like a loose tapestry. Suddenly she was a million different fibers falling apart and weaving back together in a new shape. He was in her head, and he was pushing things into it, images, sounds, and even smells. Sakura smelled mist and damp soil, saw the fog, and heard frustrated voices.

Kids. They weren't very old, and only one of the four seemed old enough to lead minors anywhere. He had a short beard and the wizened eyes of someone who would age quickly at a young age. There was a woman behind him who tried to stick next to him. The closer Sakura looked, the more clearly she could see this woman was not as young as first believed, but incredibly tired looking and malnourished to the point where she was more bone than skin. Another girl and boy trailed behind the pair, neither standing out.

"There yet, Asuma?" the woman with dark hair and tired, red rimmed eyes asked. Her irises were colored a dull rust, and something about her seemed unhealthy.

The stern lines of his face softened for her. Sakura sensed affection between the two, and suspected them of being a couple. 

"Almost, Kurenai. Just a bit more."

"If she has to stop we can stop," the other girl squeaked, sounding tired.

"No," Asuma snapped, harsh again. "We won't keep the Akimichi any longer."

He said something else about there being no time to turn back now. The fourth member looked up and that was when Sakura noticed his eyes. He was a Hyuga.

The images faded in and out. Sakura saw the couple reach the temple, and the man named Asuma pulled out a pair of blades he wore like iron knuckles. His lady friend provided back up with a short knife while the girl worked on setting a curse. They all took to the background as the Hyuga approached the Tiger Lord and spoke with muffled authority. Whatever he said, it wasn't enough to get them entrance, but it was enough to stall the monster long enough to finish the seal and curse. The next thing that flashed across Sakura's implanted memories was a darkness tied to hell that latched onto the face of the Dragon Lord. He writhed on the ground, immobile as the group rushed over him and into the temple to rob it of all the things that could feed them.

Sakura gasped, pulling out of the image and saw both Lee and Neji breathing harder. When she met Neji's eyes, she knew that both boys had shared the memories with her, but there was something else there too.

"You recognized something," Sakura guessed. "What was it?" Neji swallowed, gauging the Tiger Lord with a sideways glance. 

"I know where the relics are."

Sakura was a part of the waking world and then she wasn't.

* * *

_"To be loved by her would be to be impaled by a bird's sharp beak, to be nailed to a barnyard door.  
_ _Yet there are moments when I could wish to be speared by a beak, to be nailed to a barnyard door, positively, once and for all."  
_

_ Virginia Woolf, The Waves _

* * *

Neji and his family were not as hasty to move as Sakura expected. She thought they would be eager to rush off after the thieves and get back whatever it was that was stolen from them, but instead they took their time deliberating and debating among themselves about how best to proceed. After they got back, Neji went into a council meeting, leaving Sakura and Lee to train with each other until he emerged again.

"I have another meeting tomorrow morning," Neji explained, approaching the training arena. "Are either of you hungry?"

Lee was eager to rush off for the early dinner prepared and waiting for them, but Sakura hesitated. Neji narrowed his eyes at this and Sakura flinched.

"What?" she asked with a subtle frown.

"I've yet to actually see you consume solid food. You never ate anything on the day we hiked to the temple, and before that… when was the last time you ate solid food?"

No one had yet noticed her lack of appetite and addressed it so bluntly. It was because all the food anyone had to offer was dream food, and her dream body didn't need it. Sakura ate when she needed to, when it was convenient to blend in or when she wanted to pretend to eat, but she couldn't remember having anything other than tea in this car. Neji was more perceptive than she thought to have noticed this.

"I just don't like eating around others, and I'm not hungry now. I don't need much."

"Will you eat later?" Sakura pulled on her shoulders, arching her neck forward before rolling the joints. 

"Later, but I'm not hungry now."

Instead of leaving her to go join Rock Lee, Neji shrugged off the outer robe before crossing the field to stand opposite of her, falling into a stance. Sakura raised an eyebrow, asking without words what he was planning. 

"I am not hungry either."

"No weapons," Sakura said, falling into her own stance.

Neji's was elegant and loose, Sakura's was springy and rough, almost feral. That was the difference between their two styles. Neji was classically trained by a tutor or teacher, Sakura learned to fight girls in gangs before taking up kickboxing.

Never one for waiting, Sakura sprang first, using her unlimited stamina to her advantage. She came fast and hard, and most people would dodge and avoid, thinking her capable of tiring soon. Sakura thought Neji would do that, and he didn't disappoint. He deflected her with frustrating ease. He was fast too, fast enough to blur in and out of sight at such close range. She slowed after a while, pretending to be tired, and Neji took the opening, not knowing how quickly she could snap to attention. She landed one hit, the first hit, and she felt the wind rush out of him under her knuckles. He gasped, sliding back into the dirt on his feet. His eyes were wide now, wide and serious.

"Don't come at me with a half heart because you think I'm weak," Sakura growled. "I'm stronger than you think."

"Obviously," Neji intoned before he himself became a blur. The dust under his feet was a mask to his movements and Sakura felt herself pried open, arms thrown to her sides as he landed quick jabs to her clavicle and chest. She kicked at him, and he jumped to avoid her, but the damage had been done. She felt the bruises forming as well as something else. She felt like he closed off parts of her chest. It was harder to breathe now.

"What did you do?" Sakura gasped.

"I took you seriously."

Sakura didn't ask again. She took a breath and fell into step with the swing she needed to build up. Neji didn't hesitate and came at her again, his hands pointed and ready to strike. Sakura tried to fake him off and catch his side for a shot at where his liver would be, the way her old Irish girl friend taught her, but he saw through her moves and hit her arm, right above the elbow, turning it into a noodle. She growled, angry, and spun at him, throwing her body towards his. He was able to step away and all she hurt was the earth. He swooped low to catch her while down but she rolled into a recovery position that allowed her to spring forward, out of range.

Back and forth, they exchanged strikes that rarely landed and blows that mostly missed. Both were fast, both were determined. Neji was more tactical and skilled with his strikes, but Sakura had more energy and could go faster for longer. Neji had his peaks and lows, where he could go all out and when he needed to step back and take a breather.

When Rock Lee emerged from inside the house with rice still stuck to his face, both Neji and Sakura were bruised and gasping. Too much of Sakura was numb from Neji's many strikes. As for Neji, the few strikes Sakura did manage to land wore on him heavily. She hadn't been able to hit him as much, but her hits hurt more. Still, without her stamina, Sakura knew she wouldn't have stood a chance.

"Have you two been sparing this whole time?" Lee asked, glancing from between the two. "It's been over an hour." Sakura winced at the parts of her body that felt dented. Whatever Neji did to her, it made it hard to move. 

"Can we call it a tie?" Sakura wheezed, looking to Neji with tired eyes.

"Tie," he agreed with a nod.

A second later he fell to one knee, breathing deeper. Sakura took this as an opportunity to fall backwards into the dirt and spread her legs and arms wide. Her short hair was a messy halo of pink around her skull with a few sweaty strands stuck to her face. She closed her eyes, content to lie there.

"You'll be filthy if you lie in the dirt," Sakura," Rock Lee said, coming over to crouch down beside her. "Can you make it to the grass?" She could, but she didn't want to. 

"I hurt all over." She closed her eyes as if that was the end of the conversation. As far as she was concerned, it was.

"We're both filthy regardless of the ground," Neji coughed, standing again. "Lee, will you join me? I'll have the servants prepare things for us at the hot springs. Sakura may use the house bath."

Sakura didn't mention how she didn't need a dream bath to be dream clean because she could just dream herself so. She sat up and thanked the boys before parting. Like Neji said, there was a servant there waiting for her, ready to lead the young dreamer to a private bathroom that was more traditionally Eastern than western. A round bath made of wood with warm water waited for Sakura, and she sank into it gladly.

She sank further down, remembering how she used to enjoy unnecessary baths with bath bombs and colored bath salts that really did nothing more than make her feel good about an experience. She closed her eyes and imagined the water around her turning into a night sky with stars winking in and out of focus, and deep green galaxies that swirled in and out of alignment. When she opened her eyes, the bath water was colored a dark navy with stars and purple green galaxies.

It wasn't much, but it was enough to make her smile.

When she emerged in a pearl colored robe thick enough to be modest, she hadn't expected to meet Neji in the hallway. She thought to wave to him tiredly, the same way she would wave to any of her guy friends at camp or at the college dorms that were co ed during her freshman year, but this wasn't college or youth camp, this was turn of the century China, and Neji reacted just a she would suspect him to react when encountering an indecent young female who may or may not be attractive.

Neji turned to stone and froze in fear. Too dignified to stammer, Neji didn't say anything, but when Rock Lee rounded the corner, talking about something to whoever would listen, he reacted a bit more vocally. First he saw her, then flushed bright red, then he stammered uncontrollably, clutching at Neji's shirt sleeve. Sakura almost laughed at his efforts of communication.

"We-w-e-w-w-wwee-whee- we a-a-are are s, sososososo, so, so-SO SORRY!" he finally managed to get out before turning sharply and dragging Neji with him.

It was enough to make her laugh, and that's how she woke up.

* * *

It was one of the days Sakura had decided to take off, having doubled up on hours the week before, she now had one Wednesday she could use to do anything or nothing at all. She promised Ami to help her with photography assignments she had to complete for an online class through the local community college.

It was a late-start eight week type of course that was only worth two credits, but Ami wanted to take it without any other classes, because college wasn't something she was interested in. Sakura didn't understand that, especially since Ami's parents were rich and willing to pay for her to go anywhere and study anything. Sakura tried not to think about it. The more she dwelled on it the more bitter she became, and she didn't like herself when she was bitter. She didn't want to be 'that' girl.

Ami drove Sakura to a walking trail that had been developed over an old railroad track left dilapidated and abandoned for more modern means of transportation. There were many pretty paths that branched off from the Rail Trail, and Ami led Sakura to one in particular with the coolest looking trees with their roots up in the air and their trunks half buried in the earth.

The girls each brought an extra backpack with water and costume ideas to experiment with. Sakura pulled out a flower crown made out of white and yellow flowers perfect for her pale complexion and outfit.

"Ready?" Ami asked, setting her camera up.

"No," the green eyed girl grumbled, digging through the pack once more. There was supposed to be a jacket, but she couldn't find it. She had worn a shirt and wrap skirt over her costume and with the extra layers discarded, she felt overly exposed. "I can't find my vest."

"I took your vest out, it would ruin the mood of the shoot."

"This dress is really low."

"Because your boobs are really nice. Now please make nice with the tree roots, those things scream fairy realm. I mean, look how big they are!"

Sakura grumbled something more, but fixed her flower crown and stood in front of the fallen tree. Glancing sideways, she noticed deer in the distance, watching her as she fixed her dress and posed for the camera. Her dress was a strapless design made out of pale pink chiffon that clung tight to her waist before falling in soft waves around her legs. Ami was adamant about no jewelry unless it looked natural or made out of flowers, so all Sakura had was her crown.

"What's the project supposed to be for?" Sakura asked, turning her face this way and that. Ami clicked a few shots, moving slightly before adjusting her lens. 

"Nature shots, but I'm rebelling. It's a fashion shoot out in nature. Nature was boring all on its own."

"What about wildlife? We could try getting some of those deer in the background," Sakura suggested, pointing behind Ami at the wild animals that seemed to grow in number the longer Sakura remained in their woods.

"Oh. That would be perfect! A fey princess with the gentle creatures wearing haute couture Eli Saab." Sakura gulped, recognizing the name. 

"This was expensive, wasn't it?" She eyed the dirty earth floor she would have to walk across to get to the other side of the clearing.

"No, it was a gift from mom. It's too big for me though, so I don't need it. Keep it if you want." Ami looked behind her at the deer and grinned. "Come on, you're moving."

Sakura pulled up the hems of her skirts and stepped into her sandals before following Ami to location. Ami made Sakura kick off her shoes and stand barefoot under a tree and look out towards the deer who were creeping closer. They took a few shots with Sakura standing and then with Sakura sitting, her skirts flared out around her. Once she was on the ground, it was as if the deer took it as a sign to approach, since a few drew even closer. If Sakura got up and reached out her hand, she might even be able to touch one.

Sakura felt something in her chest warm at the thought of all the deer following her. Deer were so skittish, it was rare to see them come so close to someone on their own. Ami loved it, but Sakura was weary. She had a feeling she knew why the animals were so drawn to her, and it had nothing to do with curiosity.

Subconsciously, she felt her forehead for the velvet antlers that had once been there. She nearly forgot about the druid boy with deer eyes, but she doubted she would again as a second deer drew closer. They were all staring at her, watching her, waiting for her. She had a piece of them in her, and that was what drew them.

Another memory flashed through her mind, images of humming stones and strange markings she couldn't understand; the markings hadn't been Egyptian. Those markings were in her now. She was different from how she had been before. She was changed.

The deer served as a reminder. No matter how much she wished the two to be separate, whatever happens in the dream world, follows Sakura into the waking world. That is what she thought about when she pulled back the covers for another night of sleep in a cursed world.

* * *

"So, does this mean we get to go somewhere today?" Sakura asked Rock Lee without looking at him.

She was on her back, staring up at the sky surrounded by tall grasses and trees. Neji was in another meeting again, and the pair of them were left out of it. After a run, they ended up at a pretty spot beside the river and decided to rest. It was as nice as anywhere else, but it was not quite something Sakura coveted after two days in the stiff silence of polite Hyuga company.

"They are deciding that today, I believe. Neji's family… is cautious. Before the rebellion and the overthrow of the main family, the branch members were raised to follow orders and execute commands. It's been many years, the Emperor and Empress are dethroned, and a new era means everyone is still learning how to adjust. They are not used to issuing commands, especially not as a unit." Sakura rolled over in the grass and propped herself up on her elbows. 

"How long have you known Neji, Lee? I know it's been years, or at least since you were kids but…" Lee smiled and nodded, anticipating her answer. 

"Before the Rebellion, yes. We were just children then, but we were raised together before and after the uprising."

"Was Neji always so stern and proper?"

"Same as any Hyuga. He's actually very talkative in comparison to the others." Lee laughed. Sakura thought back to the other white eyed members of the clan and groaned. 

"I guess you're right." Neji could be worse. Sakura then glanced upwards at Lee who looked out over the river that bubbled and churned. "Thanks." 

"For what?" Rock Lee blinked, looking confused. 

"For being here and helping out. You don't have to, and I still don't understand why you're bothering with this silly mission, but you're helping us out and staying with us. Thank you, I appreciate your company." She let her head dip back down towards the grass. "Your company is warm and friendly."

Rock Lee dipped his head down and let the black bangs of his bowl-cut haircut cover his eyes. His cheeks were still bright enough to see the red coloring through the shade. He was trying to hide his smile, though Sakura didn't know why. 

"I… I don't, I don't deserve such kind words from someone like you, who was nice to me without reason."

"Someone shouldn’t need a reason to be kind, Lee. You're kind to everyone without a reason," Sakura said. Lee looked up and Sakura could see his tight smile, like he was trying to hold it back.

"I haven't done anything for you yet."

"Not true, in fact, you're doing something for me right now, you're hanging out with me and talking to me and earlier you went running with me." When he chuckled, Sakura smiled. "This way I get some human interaction. I'm lucky to get two words out of a Hyuga that isn't Neji."

Sakura then turned her face away and schooled her expressions into those of a stern-lipped Hyuga elder that grunted replies instead of answering questions. The impression set Rock Lee off, and soon the boy was roaring in laughter, and because Lee looked funny when he laughed, Sakura couldn't help but join in.

That was how Neji found them.

It took a while, but eventually the pair settled down into snickers. Sakura was the first to apologize, having quieted down before Lee. 

"Sorry Neji, did we startle you? We were just playing around."

"Neji you are my dear friend," Rock Lee exclaimed. "And I hope one day you find it in you to laugh as fully as humanly possible." When Neji didn't so much as crack a smile, Sakura coughed nervously. He actually looked a little annoyed. 

"So, um, do you have any news for us?" Sakura asked.

"We leave before the hour is up. We've made contact with a contact and will meet her in the city."

His voice was different, filtered somehow. Sakura could hear the restraint and practice of his words the same way she could hear the fake polish of words whispered by people like Ami's parents or her school's Dean of Students. Traditional upbringing paired with stiff manners made people talk like that around strangers, but Neji wasn't supposed to be a stranger, Sakura knew Neji better than that.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up and pulling her legs under her to stand. She wasn't laughing anymore. Neji shook his head, looking away. 

"Nothing is amiss. We leave within the hour. Please prepare your things and see the servants for food to travel with." He turned on his heel and left the clearing, not waiting for them to follow him. Something had bothered him.

Rock Lee frowned, but stood to follow his friend back without complaint, leaving Sakura to take up the rear. They weren't far from the compound, and both boys were quick to assemble the things they needed. Sakura needed literally no time at all, since anything she might need was something she could dream up. Even her traveling clothes were things she imagined onto her body between the threshold of one room to another. If anyone noticed the change, they didn't say anything.

The Hyuga had horses, but Neji said they couldn't afford to spare mounts on such a risky venture, whatever that meant. The trio had to walk to wherever it was they were going. Neji was grave-like as he turned and led them out of the compound and onto the dusty highway. Sakura wanted to ask, but the air around the Hyuga was thick.

Rock Lee, for all his cheer and happiness, didn't seem perturbed by the cloud of negativity Neji stood anchored under. No, Rock Lee swung an arm around his best friend and seemed down at the boy before asking, 'So where is it you are taking us?'

"You haven't guessed?" Neji looked up in mild annoyance. 

"Not the slightest clue, but this is the road we would take to a great many villages, so I don't see how you could think I'd know. Why? Where are we going?" Neji's eyes were facing forward, cold like moonstone. 

"To the city, we're heading towards Hong Kong. That is where the Akimichi live and operate alongside the other noble houses." Rock Lee sucked on a breath before deflating a bit. 

"You think they are involved?"

"I do not doubt it."

"But what about poor Choji? He's always been kind and concerned for us. He's a friend. We can talk to him, right?" Neji sighed, shutting his eyes with as much princely dignity as he could muster.

"Negotiation is preferential to forceful removal, yes. There is a reason we didn't come with an army of Hyuga. My father believes we can reason with the clan."

"But what do you think, Neji?" Sakura asked, speaking up. If she didn't know better, she would have said she saw Neji flinch, but there was nothing on his face to support that. He was as impassive as always. His voice was softer when he replied to her. 

"I think that their son is a man we can talk with, and I think his father is not the son we have all our hopes resting on." 

Sakura didn't say much more, choosing to follow the boys on in silence. Before long, they crossed paths with a merchant rolling his wagon down the road, pulled by a pair of strong Ox. The three received complimentary rides for part of the way before the two groups had to diverge.

The rest of Sakura's dream cycle was spent hiking along the road to the place they needed to go. Before long, Neji and Lee decided they were fit to rest, and headed off the path to find a clearing they could set up their rolls and sleep in. Sakura did the same, magically pulling more blankets and pillows out of her knapsack than seemed possible. Of course she shared with both Neji and Lee, and in turn the boys offered her some of their food. Sakura refused, claiming she was too tired to want anything.

"I'll wake you in the morning," Lee offered, watching Sakura dig in for the night.

Sakura merely grunted in reply before forcing herself into a stillness that would invite sleep and the end of her dream cycle. She was able to slow her breathing and even it all out, but the end wasn't close enough for her to fall into her fake sleep. She closed her eyes and counted off the names of the bones in the human body, starting with the hands. She was on ankles when Neji's voice sounded off, low and hushed. She would have missed it if she hadn't been so quiet, and even then the words were too distant to properly understand, but she got the idea of it all.

"Has she mentioned to you where she will go after this?" There was a pause before Lee said anything. 

"I think she'll go home. That's what you would expect to hear, right?"

A longer silence followed and Sakura suspected the pair would soon leave for their own bed rolls but Neji spoke up again, his voice just as soft. 

"I heard the pair of you laughing this morning. You're able to make her laugh."

"Why yes, with my youthful charm, I can indeed!" Lee sounded proud of himself. 

"Hush, you'll wake her," Neji hissed. Rock Lee must have apologized nonverbally, because Neji continued after a beat. "We were hesitant at first, if she could be trusted or not, but it was a Hyuga who betrayed us in the first place. Choi has fled. The clan has standing orders to capture or kill if the need arises. Thanks to her, we now know."

"I trust Sakura, you should too."

"Maybe. Her skill with the sword is boast worthy, though her form is lacking and her footwork could stand to see some improvement. I doubt she was classically trained. She fights like a half wild monkey."

Sakura was tempted to roll over and throw something at the moon eyed boy. Maybe she wasn't as graceful as some, but that didn't make her a half wild monkey, and damn if monkeys weren't something to be feared when they wanted to rip your legs apart. No, she wasn't classically trained, but she could still kick ass!

"Not all are as fortunate as you and I. Some had to learn their way to the fist without guidance, and please, Sakura is a dear soul, a kind angel of youthful spirit and not a wild monkey."

'Yay, go Lee!'

"Did you see her sword after the fight? Jade was growing out of it… Emperor Jade, and there is that hair piece she always wears. True, it is a piece of expensive taste, but the dragon symbol is…"

"She told me it was a gift from a friend before the girl passed away. Why? What do you suspect?"

"There are no more kings or emperors in this country. There is no divine authority to bow and fear, but if there was, Sakura would be a worthy figure in it. That dragon is the sigil for the emperor's family crest. I am not mistaken."  


* * *

_ "The heart of another is a dark forest."  
_ _ — Ivan Turgenev, from "A Month in the Country" _

* * *

When she next dreamed, it was early morning before the sun was visible in the sky. Still, there was a hush of light over everything, promising sunrise in only a few short minutes. Why had she woken so early? Neither of the two boys were awake, probably because they both stayed up talking. What was she supposed to do?

She reached for her water canteen and found it still full, due to the fact she never needed to drink from it, but Lee and Neji both had semi depleted containers. So, with nothing better to do, Sakura got up and took the containers to a nearby river to fill. It was a short walk, but it was a loud river with quieter streams branching off for visitors to wade into for baths or drink. If it wasn't so easy, Sakura would have just dreamed the bottles full, but she wanted to walk and the excuse to move and do something useful for others.

It didn't take long to get down to the river, even though they were far away enough that the sound was muffled by the separating forest. The earth beneath her feet became speckled with stones until the dirt was nothing more than slabs of bolder cut and split in a way that made climbing down to the stream easy, but there was something else that kept Sakura descent from being ideal.

The four men in the river stopped what they were doing and looked up, eyes widening and then narrowing at the sight of her figure. A fourth male stood up from where he was crouched on the side of the stone's edge. All were watching her and all had weapons of some kind. They were too dirty and ratty looking to be guards or merchants, and from the number of scars their bodies boasted, generic highway bandits seemed like too easy of a guess.

"Boys," Sakura inclined her head in their direction. "Don't suppose you'll share the river freely now, would you?"

"That depends," the one closest to her drawled, letting his eyes wander up and down. "What you're willing to share in return, eh?" Sakura suppressed a groan but rolled her eyes. Dropping her voice an octave she reached behind her to dream up her sword and addressed the crowd. 

"You're wasting your time if you're thinking of doing anything other than letting me get my water and leave. Don't test me on this." Another bandit laughed, climbing out of the water and onto the stone bank.

"Sweet bun, don't worry your pretty head. We'll be gentle." This time Sakura really did groan, dropping the two canteens to level her sword and fall into a stance. The annoyance was visible in her scowl.

"You asked for this."

When Lee and Neji woke up it was to the smell of slow cooked pork and bread. Sakura was turning a piece of meat over in the skillet when she caught Neji's eye. 

"I hope you're not a vegetarian."

"I don't remember carrying a skillet, or packing such fine food." Lee yawned before crawling over to inspect the breakfast. "Where did this come from?"

"While you two were sleeping I went down to the river for water and met some people." Neji glanced sideways at the filled canteens and then back at Sakura, one eyebrow higher than the other.

"And these people gave you all this?"

"No," she answered, not minding that his tone was one of disbelief. "They were thieves who tried to rob and rape me, so I stole their stuff and left them to tend to their wounds on the shoreline." As if to prove her point she lifted an arm and showed off the front of her shirt, which was splattered with blood. "None of it's mine," she added.

"I didn't hear any sounds of a struggle, or any screams. Why didn't you call for us to help, Sakura?" Lee asked, sounding scared. When Sakura met his eyes her own softened a little. Rock Lee did seem to honestly care for her well being, and wasn't condescending or a chauvinist about it. She appreciated that about him.

"They were nothing worth shouting about. I dealt with them on my own without issue, and look," Sakura pointed over her shoulder. "They had horses. We now can ride into the city instead of walk all the way there. Doesn't that mean we can be there by noon?" 

Neji seemed to take in all the new information in stride. Silent as ever, he didn't say anything more until Sakura handed him a plate complete with vegetables, pork slices, and a slice of bread. 

"The bandits you robbed…are they still alive?" Sakura shrugged.

"Most likely, but they're all seriously wounded and unless someone gets to them to help, they can't move in their condition. We'll be long gone by then."

"Why did you let them live?"

The question startled Sakura enough to make her pause over the skillet. It was a good question, regardless of whether or not Neji knew about Sakura's predicament in the dream world. Those thieves weren't even actors, they were figures made up by her mind to fill a need in the narrative. They weren't real, they were never even alive. Why had she bothered to let them live, even when it meant more work for her? They were no more real than the sword she used the slay them with. Why had it mattered so much to her than she left all five of them with their imaginary lives.

Her mind wandered, and a bad taste hit the tip of her tongue as she remembered cutting through Sai's neck.

"I've never been fond of the idea of killing other humans." Sakura refused to meet his eyes when answering. "Yeah they were bad men, but that doesn't mean I have to be so bloodthirsty about it." Sakura stood and left the fire and skillet to Rock Lee, who was adding more meat to the pan on his behalf. 

"I'm going to prepare the horses. Eat quickly and we can leave in the next fifteen minutes."

"I don't think she's a killer, but she's killed before," Rock Lee stated, snapping Neji's attention back and away from Sakura's retreating form. She could still hear them (same as last night) but she didn't let on as she stepped behind the trees.

"Why would you choose to bring up such an observation, and why now mention it?" Neji's tone was impatient. 

"You were curious, weren't you, to see if she was like you? Yes, she's killed before, her eyes are haunted enough to confirm that, but she's never been a killer. Sakura isn't the type of person to take life lightly, unless it is her own." Neji grunted in agreement. 

"She should have called for help. There were more than one or two opponents if she stole three horses." There was a minute of silence, broken only by the sounds of chewing and eating before Lee spoke up again. 

"Who are we meeting in the city?" Neji scoffed.

"Who do you think? Is there anyone else more suited to this task?" Rock lee laughed, sounding happy.

"I will be greatly pleased to see our old teammate again! She will like Sakura." 

It was the perfect time to step back in. 

"Who will like me?" The green eyed girl tried to sound more interested. She was a bit distracted by all the side conversations she wasn't supposed to be hearing. Neji said nothing, but Rock Lee looked up with a wide grin.

"You'll see!"

The ride from their campsite to the city took a little longer than expected because of a detour Neji urged them to take, but with the horses, they made excellent time over all, and were in the city by mid afternoon. Neji took the liberty of finding a place that still boarded horses, taking care to keep the animals out of the streets, as Western styled automobiles roared down the street.

Only the few and the rich drove in such elegance. Sakura recognized the model and counted in her head. Model T cars were out by 1908 and popular a few years after that. They were still rare, so the year was likely something after 1910, but not by much more.

Western men and women mingled in the crowd alongside the asian majority. There were a lot of colors and a lot of sounds coming at Sakura from all directions. Numbly, she followed Rock Lee, hanging onto the end of his wrist as he led her through the crowd to Neji. When they stopped, they were alongside a tiny shack built into the side of a larger store. Up and down the walls were decorated with knives and other assorted weapons. A girl in twin buns sat behind the counter. Her smile was equal parts devious and adorable when she noticed the trio.

"I thought you would never show," she giggled.

"TENTEN!" Lee hollered, rushing forward to embrace the girl over the counter. She gasped, losing her breath as he squeezed it out of her lungs. Neji had to actually tug Lee off before the girl passed out from lack of air.

"It hasn't been that long,” she grumbled.

"Ah, Tenten, this is our friend Sakura. She's been staying with Neji and me as we track down the stolen artifacts. Sakura, this is Tenten." Lee laughed nervously.

The girl in buns pushed Lee to the side and hopped up onto the counter to get closer to Sakura, before grabbing the pink haired girl by the shoulders and dragging her against the counter's edge. They were suddenly especially close. Sakura noticed that his girl had vivid chestnut eyes rimmed in black kol that could have been excess gunpowder. She felt dangerous, especially when she grinned.

"You're the cutest thing ever," Tenten finally breathed, refusing to let go of Sakura. "I want you for my own. Are you married yet, seeing anyone, engaged? That's fine, I share."

"Business, Tenten business." Neji sighed heavily. Reluctantly, the brunet let her go, but not before winking sideways at Sakura with an impish grin.

"Yeah, yeah, I got you your meeting. I know Choji and he's a huge softy, but his dad is a real piece of work. If he has your relics, I wouldn't be surprised. You're having dinner tonight at his favorite restaurant in town. You can make him squirm there."

"Tenten you're the best!" Lee sighed in obvious bliss. "It's just like when we were younger. The power of our youth and friendship will be our ultimate weapon in this venture!"

"Youth aside, I'd much rather have Sakura's jade handled katana," Neji said, knowing how his words would go over with the newest female to the group.

"Say what now? You have jade in your weapon? Is it ceremonial or do you actually use it in battle? Can I see it?" Tenten's eyes took on a sparkling sheen. 

Sakura didn't glare sideways at Neji, but she wanted to. He was smirking with his eyes and that made her want to poke him between the eyelashes. She summoned her sword from behind her back, pretending she had it there all along. Tenten nearly squealed at the sight of it, but was courteous as ever in asking to hold and draw the blade. She asked a lot of questions Sakura didn't know the answer to, so whenever something came up that Sakura couldn't answer she'd just grunt and look off to the side pretending she hadn't heard.

She glared at Neji a few times and before too long passed the Hyuga boy stepped in to save her skin by reminding the group that they needed to wash up and rest before dressing for the dinner. Tenten naturally insisted they all stay with her and the boys seemed comfortable as ever going along with it.

Walking away from Tenten's humble shop, Sakura fell back a few paces and observed the three of them from a slight distance as they made their way to Tenten's crooked apartment. Even as they traveled up the stairs and into separate rooms, they seemed so connected. They were so easy around each other. There was a balance between them that could only have been built by countless years of kinship. Had these three actors known each other in their true life's, before they died to the curse? Or was their friendship fake, like everything else in the world? Who had these people been before they died? Had they any family? Were they family?

No one seemed to have noticed how lost Sakura was in her musings until Tenten had her alone and insisted on lending the girl a dress.

"You're not here, are you. What are you thinking about?" Tenten's eyes sparkled in a knowing gleam and she grinned.

"The three of you are so close. I don't know if you're even aware of it, but you're like one body, each person acting as a different part. You move as one so effortlessly."

"Are you jealous?" 

Sakura shook her head.  "Homesick. I want that again with my friends."

"Why can't you go home?" 

This time it was Sakura's turn to smirk.

"Do you believe in curses?"

Whatever that conversation would have turned into Sakura would never know. A knock on the door had Neji and Lee coming back from a short shopping break and together, the group went over a plan for how they would go about obtaining information about the Akimichi clan.

It took another dream cycle, but when Sakura woke up from her nap, everyone else was nearly ready. Lee and Neji were dressed in nicer clothes and on their way out, leaving a prettied Tenten to help Sakura blend in with the rest of the community. Tenten had picked out a black and red Chinese Cheongsam that had a slit from ankle to thigh. When Sakura walked, too much of her leg was exposed, but Tenten insisted that was what all the hot young things were wearing 'these days.' Sakura didn't miss the mischievous smirk or the too long stares that let her know Tenten was enjoying herself way too much.

"When Choji's done with you…" Tenten licked her lips, weaving another knife into her own skin tight dress. 

"I thought we were going to not use me as live bait."

"Trust me," Tenten laughed. "Even though you're only going to talk, he's gonna want to do more when you look like that." From the way Tenten was breathing, Sakura suspected Choji wasn't the only one who was fated to be tempted.

"I want my pants back. Come on, let's get this over with."

By the time they stepped out, night was chasing away dusk, and all the paper lanterns were already out and the street was bathed in a soft, artificial glow. Tenten's dress matched Sakura's, except in color. While Sakura was black and red, Tenten was blue and white. It was enough to make a few head turns. Tenten seemed to be enjoying herself way too much. Sakura thought she was justified in pinching the older girl in order to keep them both focused and on track. Tenten pouted, by shaped up enough to not warrant another pinching.

After a short stroll, the district seemed to take on a new, fresher life. The shops were fancier, the streets were paved better, and the restaurants looked nicer. They were close; they could smell the roasting meat. Apparently Korean style BBQ was the thing to have for all the hearty families with too much money. Sakura startled when Tenten tapped her on the shoulder and pushed her away. 

"You're flying solo from here on out, girly. Holler if you need me." And with those words, Tenten slipped away to put herself in position as a hostess inside, leaving Sakura alone to approach the garden without an escort.

Attached to the restaurant was a zen inspired garden retreat, where patrons and guests could slip away for some privacy. Like she expected, the garden was empty apart from herself. While the boys were working inside, Sakura was charged with waiting in the garden until the eldest son came out to escape his father's dirty business conversations over dinner. It was all part of a plan that was held together with threads of silk, so thin, they could break at a moment's notice. Sakura felt like the whole thing could fall apart in a second, and it made her want to just walk away and find something to destroy.

There was a floor of light from behind her and the sound of wood sliding past. She turned and saw a shadow of a figure step down from the wrap around porch onto the stone path. The new arrival took a few steps and then froze, having noticed her. The setup was so cliche it made her stomach roll, but she pushed the queasiness down and forced a subtle smile.

"If you need me to leave, I will," she said, speaking before he could open his mouth.

Choji had hair like mahogany pulled back into a ponytail, and eyes to match. There were tattoos, red ones, on either side of his face under his eyes looking like spirals. He wasn't wearing a suit or anything western like that, but traditional Chinese attire with a family symbol stitched onto the back. He was tall and big boned with a healthy layer of meat to boast of. If he wanted to, he could probably kill most people by sitting on them. That part of him reminded her of Kisame a little bit. Maybe the two would have been friends, bonding over fried meat and good sake.

"Oh no, no please, don't do that. I wouldn't want to be so rude."

His words were soft and he sounded genuine. It was as Neji said, Choji was known as being the gentle giant with a heart softer than fox fur. He was nothing like his father, and that left the old man often feeling disappointed about the future legacy of his family line. As kind as Choji was, his father considered him a soft-spined failure. It made the act of manipulating him all the less enjoyable to Sakura. She hated the idea of lying and pretending in general, but this was worse because of who she was lying to.

"Please do not apologize to me, if anything that should be my role. I've no doubt my friends are somehow responsible for your need to vacate. I'll apologize on their behalf as well." She inclined her head, lowering her lids and folding her hands over her knees in respect.

"The choices my father makes are the consequence of no one but his own self. I can accept no apology from you…" He looked her over, searching for something he could recognize.

"We've never met. My name is Sakura Haruno. I'm a guest of the Hyuga family alongside Rock Lee. I came with them here, but it wasn't my place to attend an indoors meeting. So," she swept her hand out, motioning to the rest of the garden. "I wait here."

"Alone?"

"I am never alone for long it would seem," Sakura hummed. "And even when I am, there are too many ghosts to keep me company to ever be truly alone." He eyed her wearily, but not without pity. His face was open with the appearance of sympathy.

"What exactly is your relationship to the Hyuga family, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I wanted something they once owned. A specimen of Onyx rock that had the capabilities of aiding me in my quest to get home. However, this artifact is no longer in the Hyuga's possession, bringing me to our restaurant predicament. We're tracking down a lot of things that were stolen, or at least those kids are. I'm just along for the ride."

"The Hyuga did not strike me as the… sharing type." Sakura shrugged. 

"Maybe so, but Neji owes me. Plus, he kind of needs me. Last time we went anywhere, being a Hyuga didn't help him score any points because he wasn't a part of the main family."

He had explained it to Sakura once, how the main and branch family members were decided at birth, before the branch family members were branded with a seal for 'servant' that looked like a broken x shape. Apparently that seal entitled the main family to boss the branch members around, and kept the branch members from using something called the Moon's Eye technique. Lee jumped in at that point and screamed about how magnificent and youthful the Moon's Eye technique was before it was lost. The seals kept branch members from any form of resistance. That was also the reason the guardian at the temple didn't recognize Neji as a Hyuga. Branch family members were not true Hyuga in the god's eyes. Choji let her words drift before opening his mouth again. 

"As interesting as that may seem, I'm not sure why your friend from the Hyuga clan would want to discuss with my father in so intimate a setting. We've not had business with the Hyuga in trade since their fall."

Sakura frowned, sensing honesty when she had expected an artful cover up. Choji really didn't know anything. No, that made sense. There was a reason his dad was shoving him out for these talks. Either dad was sweet and wanted to protect his son, or he thought the kid incompetent for the position as one of his trusted circle in business, and didn't want Choji messing anything up. Tenten had said Choji was a gentle giant with a big heart, and Sakura believed her. She hadn't known Choji long, but she knew he was an actor, and his character was a little easier to pick up on. He wasn't one of the bad guys.

"I don't know the details either," Sakura lied, "But your father is very powerful, and I'm sure he has information at the very least."

There was a commotion coming from inside. Both Sakura and Choji stiffened, turning to watch as a shadow grew from behind the sliding door. The wood slammed back on its track, crashing into the door jam and bouncing a bit before settling far enough to leave the opening wide. Like father like son, Sakura could see the resemblance when she glanced back and forth between Choji and his father. Not far behind, Lee and Neji followed.

The Akimichi clan head scowled, glancing down at his son before nodding towards the exit to the garden. Just beyond the boundary their ox drawn cart waited. 

"Choji, we're going to the guest estate at the base of Mt. Suzhou." He looked back over his shoulder, eyes narrowed at Lee and Neji. "Together."

"What is going on?" Sakura asked, stepping forward. The Akimichi father ignored her, not thinking of her as anything more than an off duty hostess, no doubt. She didn't care about him, she was staring and Neji, waiting for his answer. Neji's moon eyes were sharp like polished glass. His face was marble in its unmoving. 

"He is going to show us the relics… or what is left of them." Behind him, Lee nodded grimly.

"Father?" Choji echoed, sounding confused. He glanced between Neji and his dad, trying to figure out what they meant by seeming so grim. "What relics?"

"Don't play dumb, boy. It is unbecoming of you and I should know better than to have raised a child more dense than the maid's infant daughter."

The look on Choji's face told Sakura that he knew exactly what relics his father was talking about, but was having trouble believing it. No, he didn't want to believe it. He was childlike and ignorant of evils in the world. He reminded her of Juugo somehow.

"You will need to come with us." Lee reached forward to touch Sakura's arm. When the Akimichi clan head laughed Neji turned sharply to glare.

"You told us to bring an army and this is what I have."

"You have a handful alright. Will you be taking the other girl with you, the one that was watching from her booth across the room? At least that one had some metal to rely on." Choji's father turned slightly to the side to look Sakura over. "What have you to make you an asset?"

It wasn't truly a question; It was a barb. He was trying to insult her but it wouldn't work. Sakura didn't care about her fake persona or the opinion of a dreamed up fat man in Chinese robes. Instead she turned from the group and stepped inside far enough to catch Tenten's eye and wave the older woman over. Once the four were reunited, they all piled into a curtsy carriage, only to have Neji dragged away to sit with the nobility in the ox cart along with Lee.

"So," Tenten drawled, letting her eyes close as the shabby cart pulled by horse swayed forward. "How was the son? He seem… hungry?" Sakura knew what Tenten was insulating but she wasn't in the mood to play along.

"Perhaps so." Sakura pretended to be thoughtful. "He was kicked out of dinner. Poor kid probably didn't eat enough food before he lost his seat. Now I feel bad. We should have taken a gift bag for him or something. What if he needs a snack?" Tenten waved the joke away, pretending she hadn't just been shot down. Instead, she leaned over and rested her head on Sakura's shoulder, wrapping her arms around the young woman's waist. 

"That's fine. He can't compare to me."

Sakura shut her eyes and let her senses reach out to feel for the boundaries of the dream. She had so much time left, and they were fast in departing for the city. She had no doubt they would reach the base of Mt. Suzhou and the cave spoke of earlier. Neji seemed so angry about it though. Sakura wondered what had gone wrong. Hadn't they found their artifacts? He should be pleased.

"Tenten?" Sakura called out, rousing the older girl off her own shoulder. "What are the artifacts Neji is trying to track down? He never told me what they were or what they could do… but if they were guarded by so powerful a guardian, then I would guess them to be of some significance other than sentimental." There was a short silence before Tenten pulled back farther, settling into the rough material of her seat. 

"Ah, it's sort of forbidden to speak of it if you are not a Hyuga member, but I know what a few of them do. Most are weapons. The Hyuga were a powerful military family for a long time throughout our history in part to their moon eye technique. It's an advanced form of hypnotism they've perfected. Stories say they were blessed by the gods, others say the devil's spawned them right out of the way, the Hyuga were a people you did not want as your enemy."

"What kind of weapons are we talking about?" Sakura asked, feeling queasy. This whole setup spelled like a cliche movie plot of a cheap video game storyline. If she had to bet money, she would wager good cash that there would be a big, oversized, overpowered, ugly monster boss for her to fight before finding the door and moving on to the next level. That seemed to be the pattern most of the dreamworld followed.

"There shouldn't be anything that can be turned on. Only a Hyuga from the main house can use the artifacts. Members born to the branch family are branded at birth and forced into submission via a watered down version of the Moon's Eye Technique. That's why guardians at the shrines won't recognize Neji as a Hyuga clan member."

"That's so many layers of terrible. Neji was raised as a… slave of mind control?" Even for the dream world, that was a bit far fetched. Outside the mountains grew larger all around the, The ride was nearly over and there was still so much dream left.

"Nothing that extreme. He didn't have a choice in the matter, no, but he wasn't mind controlled or brainwashed. He was very aware and very bitter about his position all through the process. That was one of the reasons why so many branch members deserted and tried to help the foreigners during the backlash of the rebellion. Because of their efforts, they were appointed positions of power and the main house was- or those who survived the rebellion- were all executed."

Their cart came to an abrupt halt that nearly had Sakura fall out of her seat if not for the arm of Tenten to hold onto. They had arrived. Sakura didn't wait for someone to help her. She opened the door herself and pushed back the fabric to step down. She held her hand out for Tenten to hold onto as the older girl dismounted.

The mountain was haunting in the silver light of night. Every crack and crevice was sharper, hungrier, angrier in the shadows. At the end of a modest foot trail, a wide maw opened up, exposing a path into the downwards region of the mountain. Sakura and Tenten exchanged looks, when a pair of foot soldiers ran ahead to light the way.

"That's not creepy at all," Sakura laughed, not bothering to hide her sarcasm.

Begrudgingly, she followed behind Tenten to join Neji, Lee, and the others. Choji was beside his father whispering something that sounded like a plea. Feeling like she was intruding, Sakura turned away and pretended she hadn't noticed.

When the pale blue lights lit up the interior of the cave, the father and son broke apart, turning to address the group. Choji's father spoke first.

"Your relics are inside, Hyuga. Retrieve them at your leisure."

"You're not accompanying us?" Rock Lee asked, still sounding confused in spite of what was obviously happening.

"…It's too dangerous for us." Choji had the decency to hang his head. The Akimichi father scoffed.

"Dangerous or not, it is not worth the risk. If I can't control something, it is nothing more than useless to me. If you can, I would advise you to destroy those relics." He turned to his son as the servants came back. "Choji, we're leaving."

"Just like that?" Now Lee sounded angry as he whirled on his heel to follow the retreating Akimichi leader with his eyes. "After all of this you don't even try to help? You were the one who in the first place opened-"

"Enough." Neji's glare was just as stern as his tone. "What's done is done."

Neji didn't bother to linger, setting off for the mouth of the cave. Lee still seemed upset, glancing back between his friend and the older man, torn between venting verbally and supporting Neji's decision to take the high road. Sakura was the second to move, jogging to catch up with Neji. Neither said anything to the other, choosing to travel in silence. Lee and Tenten both clamored after the pair, neither stopping to hear the rest of Choji's protests. Once inside, Sakura spoke up.

"You know what he opened, don't you?"

Overhead a vein of blue crystals glowed with a soft light that gave definition to the people around her. There were clusters of them, more and more, the deeper they tried. As their eyes adjusted, the light grew, making it easier every second to see out in front of them.

"It was used to trap the souls of the Hyuga branch members who died in battle. There is no peace for those sad souls, damned to wander the world between worlds as ghosts. Their numbers are vast, that is why the Akimichi fled." Neji nodded.

"So we'll be fighting ghosts?"

The group stopped abruptly at the edge of a short cliff looking down into an open arena sized landing. Below them was a small army of Jiang shi, frozen and immobile, held in place by yellow slips of paper over the face with spells written on them. 'Only a Hyuga from the main family can control them,' Tenten's voice echoed in Sakura's mind. They were close enough that the details were not lost on Sakura. Fingernails grew long, gnarled and black; their arms were locked out front in rigor mortis, tongues stretched long and skin turned blue. The immortal corpses were dressed in the popular attire of decades prior, outfitted in Qing dynasty hats, traditional silk robes, and cloth shoes. It reminded her of the anime she used to watch with her anime nerds back in middle school: Shaman King.

"Hold your breath," Lee whispered between pressed lips. "They can't sense you if they don't know you're living. They're blind."

That's when Sakura noticed at the end of the arena, stacked against the far wall, a collection of artifacts and relics lay on stone carved steps. Among them was a shard of the Obelisk big enough for her to sink into. Smaller shards lay scattered around it on the floor.

"How do we take them out?" Sakura asked, hand over her heart, ready to dream up a weapon.

"Cut them down. Their spirits will be freed if you sever them from their corpse," Neji responded, drawing his own sword. Tenten rolled up her dress and pulled free a handful of knives. Lee looked ready to punch stone.

Sakura imagined her scrimshaw sword growing out of her chest and drew it by the hilt once it emerged. Just like Revolutionary Girl Utana, she was equipped and ready to cut down her enemies… all seven hundred and eighty nine of them.

'They will overpower you,' the logical side of her brain warned.

'Let them, I just need to get to the obelisk piece, then this dream is worthless.'

Sakura leapt first, twisting over in mid air before her heel landed with a sharp crack on the head of a dead man made free. The body burst into dust beneath her and the rest of the zombies sprang into action. Sakura forgot they could jump. They weren't American styled zombies. These goons could move!

Her blade was a fan of chakra, pushing back a wave of three before twisting over and cutting through the neck of a fourth and fifth. She pushed out more chakra and another sweep took out even more. She needed no time for recovery and swung again and again and again, wicked and wild. Her body was a blur, flickering in and out as she followed the footsteps Kisame taught her. She was still mastering them, but after months with the blue skinned man she was adequate in comparison to the goons before her.

She was doing fine. They were fast, but she didn't tire.

Tenten did.

Sakura heard the cry and rounded over a falling body to see the young girl hold her bleeding shoulder, stained red where a monster had just tried to eat her. All they wanted was souls, but to get to a person's soul, they would eat any human clean. Tenten looked fierce, but the blood was fiercer.

"We need long range defense. If I throw you back up onto the ledge, you have to stay there." Sakura didn't wait for an answer or word of acknowledgment. She stuck her sword into the body of a monster and folded Tenten into her arms, before jumping up towards the cliff ledge, kicking off jumping bodies to make the rest of the way. Stepping down, Sakura set Tenten down and dreamed up a small stack of knives the girl could throw. "From me," She added before flipping backwards, down into the fight not too far from Neji and Lee.

Oddly enough, while the two boys were vastly different in their personalities and fighting styles, they complimented each other too well to be a fluke. There was a chemistry there that made them perfect battle partners. Back to back they trusted each other, and that trust was not something simple, it was complex and deep. Lee and Neji appeared to have known each other for years by the way they moved around each other. It was the same thing Sakura saw in Kisame and Zabuza and Haku when the three fought.

It was also the same thing she would never be able to achieve while in the dream world, no matter how many rules she bent or swords she manifested out of air. That sort of ease and style required time, years even, which was something she wasn't willing to give up. She would beat the Obelisk without spending a decade trapped inside of it.

'Not important right now,' the voice inside her head screamed, dragging her attention away from the dark thoughts. Lee was tired and Neji was nearly boxed in. There were too many to stay in one place for long.

Forgetting her sword, Sakura kicked off the shoulder of another Chinese Zombie and turned over in mid air before bringing her heel down on the stone, sending a shiver through the cavern before a fissure opened up, swallowing plenty of the stiff bodies. She kicked again and more stone wrinkled up around the impact sight. She kicked a large slap towards Neji, mowing down a few of his opponents and providing him with the distraction he needed to jump out of the danger zone, but the zombies could jump too, and for all her efforts, there were still too many left. It was as if she hadn't made a dent at all, and Lee was already tired. Tenten was wounded and Neji was getting sloppier. They wouldn't last much longer.

Sakura turned and saw the Obelisk shard not too far from where she was fighting. She could cut a path. It wouldn't be perfect, but she could make a run for it and reach the shard. Escape was in reach. She was almost done with this world. She wouldn't take years to graduate.

"Neji!" Tenten sounded frantic as she watched the swarm build around her friend. Lee had leapt away and was currently safe on the high ground beside Tenten, but he tensed, ready to jump back for his friend. 

"Neji, we have to fall back! Fall back, Neji!"

Tenten shrieked something hysterical and high pitched, making her skin crawl. Sakura turned and saw the swarm of bodies grow to loom over Neji. He was trapped and soon would be dead. Lee and Tenten were both screaming about it, but the path was still there, to her obelisk. She could dash and make it there in seven steps. It would take twice that amount to reach Neji. It would be better to leave the world and erase this whole play from the dream. It didn't make sense to save Neji. He was already dead. None of them were alive. They were just actors, they didn't matter. Neji didn't have to make it.

Sakura miscounted, it only took twelve steps and she was in front of Neji, blade brandished and glowing with chakra. She screamed and swung the heavy blade and an arch of power surged out, tinted green from the jade growing out of her hilt. Her knuckles seemed to throb. The hoard that loomed over Neji was gone, but a new one was building.

"We're retreating," Sakura growled, her eyes just as dark as her tone. "Now."

Neji didn't need to be told twice. A second later, all four of them were together and racing back down the hallway, Lee keeping an eye out behind him to see if they were being followed. Nothing crossed over to their level. Once out of reach, the majority of the monsters retreated to a spot in line and froze again, waiting for orders that would never come.

Tenten was upset and looked ready to cry. Alongside her Lee looked infuriated, while Neji simmered in his masked rage. Sakura recognized that look. 

"We'll come back another day, this time with more of a plan. This wasn't the end of it."

Once they broke out into the open the boys and girls all collapsed into the earth or onto their hands, panting and coughing. Overhead the night sky was choked with stars. Any other time or place and Sakura would have admired them.

"Damn it," Sakura muttered under her breath. She hadn't intended to do what she had done. She had acted without thinking and was starting to regret it. The dream was almost over and soon she would have to wait for one more dream cycle before another attempt could be made.

At the base of the cave path, Sakura glances over and sees Choji waiting for them. His expression was soft, regret ruled his eyes as he saw the blood from Tenten's pretty shoulder. "You'll stay in my guest house tonight," was all he said before turning and leading them away.

Sakura woke not soon after.

* * *

"What are these?" Sakura asked, looking up.

Her hair was a mess, but she ran her fingers through it and some mousse, and by the time she got out of the car to her first office, it looked nice enough to seem intentional. At least, it was nice enough for an auto repair shop.

"It's an application," the secretary said Sakura remembered her name was Nancy. They had always been pleasant with each other, but not friendly. When Nancy saw Sakura's look of confusion persist she dropped the page packet onto Sakura's keyboard. "I'm retiring at the end of the month and we're looking for a replacement. It's full time and your pay will be better. Trust me, I know what we bill your boss."

"It's full time?" Sakura asked, glancing at the packet. It wasn't a huge application. She could fill it out in fifteen to twenty minutes over lunch if she wanted to. "But my job now… I'd have to leave that."

"You have nearly a month to wrap that up." When Nancy turned on her heel to begin walking away Sakura stood up suddenly.

"But I haven't said if I was even interested."

Sakura didn't get a response, and she didn't press the issue either. Knowing Nancy, the older woman would ignore anything more from Sakura regarding the job and then snap about getting back to work. If she was in a really nasty mood, Nancy might even throw in a quip about 'back in my day we valued hard work and never had a cell phone to distract us from doing the job we were paid to do.'

Finishing up as quickly as possible, Sakura rushed through the last few entries and pushed herself to operate as efficiently as possible and make it out of there before something else happened.

Reaching her station wagon, her phone started to ring the tone she had set for Karin. Ignoring it, Sakura threw her purse in and set the seat back to start the car before answering the speaker.

"I was just thinking about texting you. What's up? You haven't called me in a while." Sakura said, casual as ever. Her engine turned over on the first try and she breathed a sigh of relief. It had been acting funny and a repair was the last thing she needed.

"We're at the Orchard now, where are you?" Sakura felt her lips tug down.

"What do you mean you're at the Orchard? You and who else?" That wasn't where Karin was supposed to be.

"Ami and Suigetsu. Juugo was invited, but he's with his dad today. We're gonna hang out since you work here sometimes." In the background someone was trying to talk to Karin in spite of the phone call that was obviously Karin's main concern. It was a pet peeve of the redhead's to not split her attention when her phone was on.

"Karin, I work on a computer in the back, and besides, I'm not even actually an employee at the Orchard. They contract out the accounting to my boss, so I'm like… a third party that gets their money for services. I can't just hang out with you while I'm working. It's not that sort of job."

"Yeah, well, Ami knows people and we were talking about going to the Ren Fest this weekend as a group."

"What group?" Sakura felt something drop in her stomach.

"The usual gang, but Genma, Yamato, and some guy Ami knows from Root wanna come too. His name is Zaku or something. It's jacked up, but he seems to like her so I'll forgive him the shit name."

"How generous." She swiped the call away and the line went dark.

It was another fifteen minutes of travel, but luckily the two locations weren't too far from each other so that Sakura could make it from one to the other without copious levels of stress.

True to her word, when Sakura walked in, the trio was already up in the loft playing card games. Tyra and Becky both grinned at Sakura as she passed, making the younger girl blush. After dropping off her purse and booting up the computer, Sakura went back out to visit her friends.

Ami was the first to notice.

"Sakura!" 

"You sounded disappointed. Are you sad that I am not someone else?" The green eyed girl laughed. 

"Of course not!" Ami was quick to defend, making it all the more fun for Karin to tease the younger girl and make Ami even more uncomfortable than before.

In an act of revenge, Sakura tugged on Karin's iced peach tea and took a long pull before handing it back to its owner. There was less than half left, and Sakura knew the drinks didn't come cheap.

Karin opened her mouth to say something biting, but closed it when she saw the look in her friend's eyes. Sakura stiffened, knowing she had been caught. 

"What?"

"Something happened to you. Why are you so rattled, Sakura?" Karin asked. She should have known better.

"I got offered a better paying job today, but it means I'd have to quit the job I'm working on now, and I don't know if I'm willing to work so much right now. Also, it would mean no going back to school." When Karin frowned, Sakura went on to explain the events of earlier that day and share her fears about making the wrong choice. Ami leaned forward and even Suigetsu seemed interested in hearing what Sakura had to say.

"You don't want the job," Suigetsu said, suddenly. All three girls turned to look at him and he balked a little. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? It's clear enough that it's not something you're excited about, Sakura. Don't do it if you don't want to."

"Sorry, babe, but that sounds like a load of horse shit," Karin said. "The follow your dreams bull is great, but my dreams involve financial stability and a means of employment that aren't valued in a hyper capitalistic society."

"You're so cynical. That doesn't mean you have to throw away your dreams and subscribe to a boring job just for the sake of surviving financially." Suigetsu wrinkled his nose.

"But isn't that what most of us are doing?" Karin inspected her nails. "I'll likely never leave my parent's place because the cost of living is crippling in this god forsaken state, and with that sort of stress looming over you, people don't follow their dreams. They seek out the most likely course of survival."

"You're thinking in extremes," Suigetsu countered. "That's not how it is for everyone."

Karin frowned at her boyfriend and he quirked a single brow that made his expression taunting. It was enough to convince the redhead to lean forward and kiss him deeply. Ami made a gagging sound from the sidelines and Sakura sighed, averting her eyes ever so slightly.

It wasn't just because Karin and Sakura were best friends, but Sakura agreed with the logic of Karin's earlier statements. Dreams were lovely things, but they weren't practical things. When Sakura had been a freshman in high school, she knew she was going to go on and become a doctor. That was her dream. By the time she was a senior she had decided to better be a nurse. A year into the program and she switched to pharmacy, knowing she could get a job out of it sooner with less debt. Then after all that, she ended up doing data entry for her summer boss full time. Her dreams were withered things. She was too old to believe in them anymore.

"Sakura."

She hadn't noticed Ami staring at her, but Sakura looked over at the younger girl once her name had been called.

"Do you feel well enough for such a job? You said it looked demanding."

Even if her dreams hadn't died, the curse she slept with every night would have killed it right off. There was no way she could function so well so often when every night she seemed to be fighting for her life. She was an emotional mess. There was no way she could work full time in one place.

"I'm going to say no."

"If that's what you think is right for you," Ami said, smiling in a way that made it seem like she wasn't aware of how Suigetsu and Ami were trying to eat each other's faces off. Eventually they broke off for air and the conversation started up again.

Sakura didn't say anything more but nodded along, letting the rest of her friends fill in the silence with their own opinions and thoughts on the matter. It didn't take long for them to sidetrack in the conversation, and once they were talking about Ultimate Street Fighter Sakura took to the stairs and returned to the back office where the computer was up and ready.

* * *

When Sakura woke, she noticed she was still in her clothes from last night, and had fallen asleep against a mound of pillows on the floor. Across from her dozed Neji and Tenten. A door to the side opened slowly and Lee stepped in. At the sound of his arrival Tenten stirred.

Lee winced when her gaze fell on him. Without saying anything more, he shook his head and looked away. It was enough of a message for Tenten to know what had happened.

"They're not letting us back up the mountain path," Tenten guessed. When Lee didn't say anything more she sighed. "I should have known they would do something like this, but it doesn't make sense to keep us from wasting our lives again. Why would they care?"

"It was Choji who officiated the ban. Apparently he is in agreement with his father that our quest is a futile one, but that is where the agreement ends. His father doesn't care if we live or die." Lee took a few more steps and sat down in front of Tenten, reaching to inspect the young girl's shoulder. 

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. That medicine really helped. I can move my shoulder a bit now." Lee nodded.

"And the others. Are they not awake yet?"

"Neji was up during the middle of the night, and Tenten's rest was fitful. That might be because of her hands though."

Hearing Tenten's words and knowing there was little point in pretending to still be asleep, she yawned loudly and stretched. Lifting her arms up she noticed the bandages around her knuckles. While she heard the two call out her name, she paid them no mind as she began to unwrap her hands.

Her knuckles had been split open from where the skin cracked under impact. Punching a few dozen boulders into the bodies of the undead had turned her hands a nasty shade of blue in the real world, but she had grown better at hiding such things. Between her fingers, where her knucklebones rose, Sakura saw green growing out of her scabs. She picked at a few and what lie underneath wasn't more blood and pinkish flesh, but a vein of jade. Inorganic material was growing out of her hands. The same inorganic material that decorated her sword and made up the dragon hairpin.

"Sakura." Someone's hand was on her wrist, and she jerked away. Tenten frowned at the reaction, but didn't falter. "Were you having a bad dream?"

Sakura glanced between Lee and Tenten and then down at her knuckles. She hid them behind her back, even though it was useless. They had already seen, and they already knew. Lee looked especially sympathetic.

"I just need to take a breath and clear my head, I think." Sakura pushed herself off the pillows and stood, taking note of where the doors and windows were and finding one that led outside.

"Breakfast is-"

"Don't need it!" Sakura was already slipping out the window and falling down onto the dirt patch underneath. She didn't bother to look back and see if Tenten looked worried.

She hadn't gone far when the figure standing between thin branches of maple made her pause. She heard him cough and decided to march all the way over to see him. She hated his guts, but she needed his help and he owed her something.

"What went wrong, and what is this?" Sakura hissed, holding up her hand with the Jade growing out of it. "What the hell are you even doing here?" Hayate coughed once more into his hand before looking up at her from under his dark sooty eyes. 

"I'm testing you, obviously. I thought you knew that by now."

"This hasn't happened to me before. What are you doing?"

"Oh, can't you remember a time when it has?" he asked with an amused smirk that still seemed tired. When Sakura growled he waved her frustration away. "The Marble Gardens. You had to escape before you turned to stone. This is only a little different because I don't like to copy the works of others."

"The Jade will kill me as it grows?" Sakura felt her throat grow dry.

"You have plenty of time,” he wheezed before falling into another coughing fit that nearly made him bend over. Sakura shifted the weight of her body from one leg to the other. 

"If you are my guide or my whatever guardian, you should be here to give me a clue or a tip or a hint of some kind to help me. What else are you here for?"

"I told you, I'm unbiased. I will not give you unfair help." She wanted to groan but settled for a subtle eye roll. 

"Then give me some fair help, anything you can. I don't want to go on to another stupid train car. This has to be the last one. I've been here for days!" Hayate leveled her with a look and Sakura took a step back, held in place by that stare. It felt hollow, like she was staring into the angry eye sockets of a withered skull. 

"Watch your tone, girl. Better men have died in this curse after years of it's company. Don't be impatient, least you seek death as so many of the old dreamers did." Sakura ached for Sai's words of encouragement. She wanted to hear him say he believed in her once more.

"I'm doing what you told me. I've collected the actors and I've kept them alive, but I don't see how they're helping me any. If not for them, I would have been home by now. Are you giving me false advice to trick me into staying stuck here? Is this another test or a trick?"

"The actors have always been the most vital ally in any dreamer's conquest of the curse." Sakura snorted, dreaming up a few knives between her Jade studded knuckles.

"I doubt that. Sure they help, but my best asset has been my ability to manipulate the dream's makeup." She tossed a knife and caught it for emphasis.

"And that's always been reliable?" he sighed, sounding bored.

"More so than the ones who just wind up dead."

Hayate didn't answer, but his coughing kept the silence at bay for a half a minute longer until his wheezing subsided. Seconds later he had straightened himself back up against the tree, acting as if nothing had happened. 

"The actors are the key, for not only this world, but also the next. What you do here will show an impact on my crafting of the kingdom to come, and while I will not show sides to either, I will share that your decision to save the boy in place of yourself and freedom was noted into my designs."

From what he was saying, it sounded like Hayate was still building the next kingdom, or at least still designing them. Sai had never mentioned such work, neither had Kimimaro.

"How big will the next Kingdom be?" Sakura asked.

"Bigger than all the others."

"But the last one took me months to figure out!"

Around the corner of the house and off to the side there was the sound of footsteps, and Sakura caught a glimpse of two men in uniform, heading towards the young grove of trees and bushes where they were talking. Hayate glared at them a little before turning to glare at only Sakura.

"You…" His eyes were pointing at her, "Be grateful it's not years. Many actors died before they could even make it this far."

The guards passed by, making Sakura turn full around to see if they meant to greet her. When they both ignored her, she figured it had something to do with how Choji insisted they stay with him while he compensated the group for their troubles as best he could. He had been kind so far. After the guards passed, Sakura looked back and saw an empty tree. The coughing she had grown used to was gone as well.

She walked a long ways, and then found a place to practice with her sword. She had wrapped her hands in bandages once more and tried to manipulate the Jade out of her grip, but nothing would remove it. It seemed faster to her when she swung. She rolled into moves and tested the weight of her blade in the air, cutting through falling leaves and other moving targets.

Stance swing repeat. Stance swing repeat. Stance swing repeat. Stance swing repeat.

The repetition was soothing. She didn't have to think, just move. Less and less of her worries gnawed at the back of her mind until finally she was in a state of dull whiteness. This was healthy, she needed to do this if she wanted to keep moving forward. Hayate pissed her off, but she couldn't let him unnerve her to the point where it had an impact on her performance.

She rose out of a stance and held her blade up, resting against her shoulder, when she heard the footsteps behind her. Choji stood at the edge of the field, but further back were two guards who had been keeping watch from the shadows. She deflated a bit when she saw that the guards wouldn't be drawing closer, and sheathed her blade. Squaring her heels, Sakura bowed from the waist down and kept that position until she was bid to rise. 

"My companions and I thank you for your generous hospitality."

"No need, there's no need," Choji quickly replied, drawing closer. His robes were traditional, not unlike from the clothing he wore last night when Sakura had met him in the garden. It seemed his family was in no rush to jump on the western fashion bandwagon in spite of their business relations with the foreigners.

When Sakura rose, she noticed the guards had been dismissed as well. One had turned his head to look back at her, and his eyes were narrowed in a glare. 

"They don't like me much."

"They don't trust easily, no one does since the uprising." He shifted from one leg to the other, folding his hands in front of his chest. He wouldn't make eye contact, but when he spoke it was obvious he was addressing her. "Your stay has been pleasant so far, I take it?"

"Your hospitality has been nothing short of impeccable. My friends and I are grateful beyond words, though I myself am curious why you would want to help us." Choji's nervous face fell even more. 

"There used to be a time when we didn't have to ask that. I wanted to help Neji and his friends simply for the sake of helping. I shouldn't need a reason."

"But you're still not going to let us travel back up the mountain to reclaim the artifacts, are you?" Choji's face turned hard and lost all traces of hesitation.

"I forbid it."

"Why? What does it matter to you if we make it out alive or not? Neji is a Hyuga, so I understand why you would want to keep him alive, but I'm a nomad. You don't know me or Lee or Tenten enough to care."

"I shouldn't have to. It's dangerous to anyone who isn't a Hyuga from the Main Family. If Neji could control the Jiang shi with the Moon's Eye Technique it would be a different story, but he can't, and I don't know of anyone who can change that, and trust me, I want nothing more than to help Neji in such a way. The Hyuga tribe needs to regain their standing and bolster their authority in the new communities if it is to survive westernization." Sakura faltered a bit.

"Wait, you said you didn't know anyone who can change Neji's status, but does that mean you know what a person would need to do in theory in order to make Neji a member of the Main house?" If Sakura could achieve that, the Jiang shi wouldn't be a problem!

"It's not possible. The person would need the blood of the emperor or… older texts call it the blood of the gods. Only something with divine authority can reverse the curse passed on by the Moon's Eye Technique. This country has no such authority. We are ruled by business and money and greed. The gods have abandoned us."

"If I found such a person…what would they need to do?" Sakura tightened her knuckles around the sheath of her blade.

"I would think that to be obvious to the person with the power. I don't know, personally." Choji regarded her with an almost amused expression. "You ask interesting questions." Sakura smirked out of the side of her mouth and mocked a sweeping bow of thanks.

"I'd like to think that's because I'm an interesting person, but people disagree." Choji took a step towards the and then turned his attention back to the main house. She heard him inhale and wondered if his sense of smell was really that sensitive. 

"They are serving dinner. You've been gone all day." He turned back to look at her and then offered her his arm. "Eat with me?"

Sakura had no reason to refuse him, but she paused as her thoughts rushed through her mind like an overflow of saltwater. Her thoughts stung in naked areas, reminding her of her vulnerability. The actors were the key. She wasn't progressing fast enough because of the actors. She needed to pay more attention to the actors.

Hayate let it slip that one good thing she did in this level was save Neji. She put the needs of an actor above her own. Had she done that before? Not really. She never saw the need to, but Hayate was the one in charge of the world building now, and he seemed more detailed than either Sai or Kimimaro.

Now, in this car/level/dream cycle, she needed to not focus so much on getting to the Obelisk, but think more about helping the actors with their own problems.

Finally, she reached forward and took Choji's arm, forcing a smile that wasn't actually fake. He might have been dead for hundreds of years, but to her, Choji was warm and soft against her arm. He was a big ol' marshmallow. She had to stop thinking about them like dead things and pretending their loss didn't hurt.

Choji smiled at everyone they passed, and within a few minutes they were right outside the dining room meant to be shared with guests. Servants pushed the doors back for them and the pair stepped in, stopping just shy of the threshold. Sakura's eyes darted all around the room, taking in the details and noting who all was there already. Neji was seated at the right hand of Choji's father, a seat of honor. Lee and Tenten were also seated next to Neji, leaving the seat across the table from them open for Sakura and Choji to take. A pair of guards stood against the back wall while another pair hovered just behind the Akimichi clan head's chair. His father didn't even look up as Choji stepped in.

Sakura suddenly felt self conscious when she noticed how nicely dressed everyone was, and she was still in her things from when she practiced training. She didn't sweat in the dreams, but still…Tenten was wearing a nice dress.

"The duck is getting cold, son. Don't be a child of waste."

Choji bowed his head and took his seat beside the head of the table, glancing back only once to make sure Sakura was following him. Even though she sat down at the table next to Choji, she shrank in her seat, shying away from him and his father in hope of being less noticed. Set out in front of in addition to the duck there was a table full of pork and crab soup dumplings, spicy beef noodle soup, pork soup dumplings, green onion pancake and a few other things Sakura didn't recognize.

Neji caught her eye from across the table, and even though Rock Lee and Tenten were also looking at her, Neji was the only one Sakura looked back at and nodded to. 'I'm fine.'

Tenten huffed angrily, not bothering to hide her pout.

The Akimichi clan head took a messy bite of something that looked like meat before swallowing it down with something that smelled like alcohol. Wiping his mouth, he leaned back down in his seat so that his posture slouched towards Neji.

"So, as per my proposal, I would be willing to aid you in the rescue and recovery of your relics with the full backing of the Akimichi clan if you should require it."

Sakura almost jerked in her seat. Choji's dad was going to pull rank and help them wipe out the cavern of monsters? Why would he do something like that? Neji's face was stone, and it was obvious he wasn't impressed by the offer. 

"That's not feasible, nor is it advantageous to my clan." Neji wasn't even considering it.

"You have no clan. The Hyuga are directionless and in sore need of guidance. Since the fall of the Main House, your branch members have done nothing but demolish the foundations of a once great legacy. If you speak with your elders, I am sure they would see the truth in what I tell you."

Sakura watched from across the table as veins rose and fell underneath the layer of skin over Neji's neck. There was agitation in his blood, but somehow he drowned it down and kept it suppressed. It was a struggle for him to contain his true emotions, but his methods of management were well practiced, and she doubted anyone other than herself saw his true feelings just then. When he spoke, his voice was hard.

"Maybe so, but they are not here. I am here, and my mind is unchanged." He dropped the cloth napkin from his lap down onto the table before standing. "If you will excuse me…" he bowed and rose before anyone could give him permission or deter him longer.

That was the last thing Sakura remembered before the dream world abruptly tore apart and threw her into the world of the waking, where water was falling down her face from an open window. It was still dark, but the rain didn't wait for sunlight, and danced inside her window without remorse, soaking the wood.

Sakura was up to close it before anything more could suffer water damage. Luckily there were towels nearby she could use to soak up the rain stains. Elsewhere in the house there were a few more windows left open for the cool breezes, but none of them seemed as wet as the one in Sakura's room.

By the time she had closed all the windows and cleaned up the mess, it was half an hour later and still too early to get up. She didn't have work until the afternoon, she could afford to sleep in. She debated the pros and cons of going back to sleep, anticipating a return to the dream world, and settled on brewing a tea beforehand for restful slumber. If she was lucky, she would sleep too softly to dream.

But she should have known better.

Sakura was cursed, and cursed people had no luck.

* * *

_  
"Slow your breath; unclench your fist.  
_ _ Even in sleep you are ready for war." _

_ The Golden Wing _

* * *

She slipped back into the dream so easily. It felt like a few hours had passed, the darkness outside was testimony enough to that. A quick look around told her she was now out in the hallway, standing on her own. The rest of the house felt asleep, even the wood in the beams overhead sagged a bit more with drowsy commitment.

"Neji," she whispered into the night, remembering the way she left the dream.

He had been angry, and parts of his anger left her feeling responsible. Regardless of if she was able to or not, she needed to seek him out and learn more. She was so close to the end of this dream, but if she wanted to end it the right way, the way that left her stronger for the third Kingdom, she needed to speak with Neji and fix whatever was screwing with him in this narrative.

She paced down the hallway, trying to keep her steps soft without sacrificing speed. Somehow she found the room they had been deposited into the first night, and there on the couches were both Tenten and Rock Lee again. Funny how in a house with so many rooms, all the guests were forced into one room together, regardless of sex or social standing. If Neji had accepted whatever offer the clan head originally proposed, would things have been different for the rest of them?

She didn't dwell on it. Instead, she turned back around and started heading out of the house, towards the edges of the property where the high walls stood. All the gates were locked, and she remembered Choji saying something about dangers of the mountains and needing to lock down at night to avoid encounters with the local thieves' company, or being of malevolent form. Neji couldn't have gone far.

It took some time, but she recognized the path she used earlier in the day to practice her stances, and followed it to a bamboo thicket that shone silver in the moonlight. Neji stood between the reeds without moving. He made no indication of knowing Sakura was there, but she suspected he was all the more aware of her presence.

"What are you going to do?" she asked. He didn't stir.

"I will not make a decision in the absence of my father and the other elders."

"Even if their authority is not recognized by those in power?"

She saw him tense, but in the reserved sort of way that let her know he was practiced at keeping his more violent emotions in check. He wouldn't lash out. Neji knew better than to be so raw with his feelings. He was more in control than others. 

"No. Their authority is not one I respect enough to extend such agreements to." She knew he meant the Akimichi.

"Then what are you going to do? As it stands, we don't have the power to subdue the monsters from your cursed object but the alliterative is…" She didn't actually know what the alliterative was, but she could imagine based off of what she saw in Neji.

"I will need to meditate on my situation more before I am able to answer your question. I apologize. You were not a part of this, yet you are here. You're not like Lee or Tenten, you owe me nothing."

"But I'm still a part of this. Doesn't matter how we started out or who I used to be to you, I'm here now and I'm recovering from the same wounds as you." Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and slacked in her posture. "And don't dismiss me so easily. I'm a lot more dedicated to this than you appear to assume. If I wasn't, I'd be gone by now. Trust me."

Why wasn't she gone? Oh yeah…

Neji turned to face her, and she noticed right away what was missing. The wraps around his forehead, the ones she assumed were there to hold his hair in place, were gone and the tattoo was out and visible. At first she thought it was a nazi swastika, but then she noticed the dots and the curved ends and remembered this was early in history for Hitler and Germany's rise to power. No, the symbol on his forehead was a variation on a protective symbol she remembered seeing in an episode of the X Files where a boy was possessed by his twin brother and his slavic grandmother kept drawing the pinwheel thing on his hand and face.

The tattoo was done in jade green and fit discreetly across his brow. When Sakura saw it, she felt the throb of energy from a bound curse.

"What is that?" she hadn't meant to sound so disgusted, and she flushed with guilt once the words left her lips. Neji seemed unfazed.

"When I die, I will become one of them. This curse binds me to the blood of the Hyuga well beyond the grave. With no other members of the Main House to remove the seal or revoke punishment, my fate is inevitable."

"You're cursed." Sakura sucked in a breath, feeling deep empathy. He was amazing for having so little visible fear in him. "That's why this is such a big deal."

"But it's not just me. My father, my cousins, everyone else in the family is in danger now that the relic has been opened. Nearly all of us are marked."

"Can you get the curse mark removed? If all the Main House members are dead, it shouldn't be valid or active. There's no conduit to… to generate the magic. Not that I know all that much about curses or the like…" Actually, her own curse was tied to nothing but dead people. Why was the Obelisk still active, and how?

"No. There is no way. Aside from the divine will of the emperor, no power under the heavens can shake this bond." His voice was dry, and she recognized the tone. It's what a person who already lost sounded like.

"There is always a way in this world," Sakura said, meaning only the dream world. While asleep and inside of Hayate's narrative, there was always a way forward, she just had to figure it out. What would it cost?

"We'll come back, and we will try again. We may not have the numbers to be as effective as I'd like, but knowing that it's been opened will motivate the Hyuga men to take action. It will be dealt with."

"But at what cost?"

He didn't answer her, but turned his face away. She walked past him deeper into the bamboo thicket and then stopped in a clearing. He didn't follow her, but he was still close enough that he could turn and reach her if he wanted to. His back was to her, and that was what she wanted. She didn't want him to see her opening up her bandages to see her jade littered wounds. Imperial Jade.

She closed her eyes and forced the flow of chakra in her body to circulate and when it passed over the stone her chakra raged all the stronger, but it antagonized the stone, forcing the Jade to grow. If she used her chakra, the Jade would kill her sooner.

She jerked, feeling his hand on her elbow, causing her to turn. He wasn't looking at her hands and didn't notice the bandages or the green in her scars, but was tugging on her for a different reason.

"Come with me."

He pulled her through the thicket, and she had to press herself against his side to keep from being hit by the bamboo. He glanced back down at her and she felt his gaze before she looked up and saw it for herself. She didn't ask where she was going, he already knew she was clueless. If he wanted to tell her, he would have.

They didn't go far, they had to stay within the walls, but the property was impossibly large, spanning acres and acres of rural property in addition to the estate house. Somehow, Neji had found a quiet corner where water pooled into a modest sized pond thick with water lilies across the surface. Under a full moon, it was breathtaking.

"Please don't try to seduce me here," Sakura intoned, not wanting to look at the reflection of the full moon on the water. It was so lovely it hurt. But she knew well by now that her dreams were still dangerous.

"Would I be ineffective here?" Neji almost smiled.

"It's so nice here that I might forget how to say no."

Neji leaned in and kissed her quickly. Sakura didn't respond, and when he hovered, his face just above her, she was able to pull back. He didn't look surprised or devastated, making it easier for her.

"I said 'might.' I never promised anything."

"You shouldn't blame me for trying though." He stepped back fully, his eyes still on her. "Angels are not so easily wooed. Still, I wanted to try." Sakura rolled her eyes. 

"Don't try to flatter me now. Why are we really here?"

"I haven't decided yet. I hadn't planned on kissing you, Lee would have skinned me alive if he knew I tried, but I wanted you to see this place before we leave. I planned on going back tomorrow if Lee and Tenten will be so accommodating."

"You don't plan on accepting the offer," Sakura guessed.

"I don't see how I have a choice."

The dream was thin, but Sakura felt like she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. Time was passing slowly during this sleep cycle. She was taking in more details too, like the way her bandages hung off her arms, slipping further down. She should take advantage of it. 

"Those two will follow you near anywhere if you ask it of them, but you'll lose too many if you take that swarm head on. Those things are monsters."

"They were once Hyuga."

"But your friends are alive now. Do you really want to put their lives at risk again?"

She saw the way he flinched with guilt and knew she hit a sensitive spot. Neji cared for his friends almost as much as they cared for him. Regardless of his role as an actor in a narrative, he expressed concern for the wellbeing of other dream characters.

It made Sakura feel oddly humbled to know she wasn't the be all and end all to each actor. As the dream, sure she was important and especially cared for by actors, but it seemed the more she dared pay attention, the more she noticed how wide their worlds were.

"What would you do to save your friends and your family?" she asked out loud before she even had the time to think about what she was saying. It was a thought, but she hadn't meant to ask it out loud. It made her sound like a prick, of course Neji would do anything to protect the ones he loved. He was noble and dignified with a strong tradition that- Neji's eyes were dead when he looked at her. It was enough to empty her. 

"I don't know," he whispered, and Sakura swore she saw water in his eyes, ready to shed. He looked so broken. It wasn't what she expected from him. Neji always seemed… in control.

"Neji." She hesitated before reaching out to touch his shoulder. He shook under her hand and the feeling was of a body that wanted to collapse. When was the last time he was allowed to come undone? Stuck between his friends and his family, of course he was stressed beyond words. "I'm so sorry. If I could I'd…"

"There is nothing you could do. Even the gods have abandoned us."

This time he actually did cry and it was such a disturbing image, because the moon was full and bright on the lake and there was no way Sakura could miss the stains on his face with such a silver light. It was wrong. Neji wasn't meant to be so undone.

She knew because she sleep walked out of bed into the cold, cried herself to sleep, and stopped eating when the stress filled every free space inside of her, leaving no room for food. She had been distraught before, and she hated seeing Neji experiencing the same symptoms.

Strong Neji was crying, and she wanted to weep for him. It wasn't fair that he was dead and stuck in a curse, but guides like Hayate had to fuck with him for the sake of some stupid narrative. Hadn't he suffered enough? Hadn't all the actors suffered enough?

Sakura's hand was still on his shoulder when she felt the jade in her blood itch. It was hungry and reaching, trying to grow out, making her gasp. The symbol on Neji's head seemed to wane in response. When she pulled away, the jade stopped growing and Neji's symbol returned to normal. Sakura was made up of Imperial Jade, and only the divine will of an emperor could save Neji from his curse. That meant she had the power to heal him! She could provoke the Jade inside of her to suppress the Hyuga seal and free Neji so that the battle he was planning never had to take place.

But what will that do to me? Her mind rang with the nasty thought. The jade would kill her if it took over too much of her system. Could she really risk that for Neji? There wasn't even a guarantee that what she needed to do to help him was risk her own in such a way, but it did make sense. That sounded like something Hayate would do in order to prove a point. He seemed persistent in portraying the dreamers as vital components in the narrative even more and more so.

But how would she get back home if she went too far and became paralyzed? What if she did it wrong? What if she tried too hard and hurt them both? What if-

She heard it when his tear fell off his chin and the questions faded away. She drew closer to him and touched his shoulder again, making him look over at her. He was taller, but she stood on a rock so that they were near even. She touched the side of his face with one hand and laid the other across the cursed seal. His eyes were wide with questions but Sakura didn't speak. Her eyes dropped and all the energy in her went to healing Neji of his curse.

Like when she purged blood of poison, Sakura saw inside the curse and felt resistance when she came up to it in her mind. The curse was a gate with interlocking brass gold bars that didn't want to break. Brass wasn't anything she couldn't pulverize thought. She breathed deep and the pictures started to seep through before she forced her will out in a projection of strength. She was a timber wolf, large enough to ride, tearing down the gate and pulling apart its pieces.

She shuddered at what it took out of her, but didn't falter. She saw Neji as a young boy crying about the sea.l and Neji as a not quite as young boy biting his bottom lip so hard it bled while the seal glowed bright across his forehead at a gathering of elders. She couldn't make out words or sounds, but she knew in that instant they were punishing him through the seal that time. He endured what he could, but the pain of his affliction was no one any of the Main House members seemed concerned with. No one seemed to care at all, at least not about him. There were cousins who were adored and worshiped, but that was because they were born to the right father and sorted into the main family where privileges were abundant and meaningful.

Somewhere she heard her name being called, but she ignored it. Now wasn't the time to worry about herself. She was doing this for Neji, and because this was the right thing to do.

"Hold on," she thought she whispered, but couldn't tell if she was speaking to herself or to Neji.

The Imperial Jade was thick inside of her now, and she could feel it crystallizing around the veins in her lungs and across her heart. The organs in her chest strained under the pressure as those veins expanded, growing larger and wider. She choked, wanting to scream.

There was one more image before the walls came down, but it wasn't from a time in the dream world. It didn't look like anything she had seen before, it was too clear and too lifelike to be a part of the curse. She saw Neji, asleep in the grass with blood splattered across his chest. The shadows of people stretched out around him, but it was the object next to his head that held her attention. The obelisk that held her curse stood next to Neji with three of the four sides pure black, leaving one whole face white. But in her sequined memory, just as the image faded, she saw the change come occur across the obelisk. Black bled into the white and pale, sleeping Neji, breathed his last breath, damned to live out the rest of his unlife in the limbo her curse controlled.

Once upon a time, Neji had been an actor too, but he never made it past the second gate.

She did scream this time and collapsed as the curse on Neji's forehead shattered. She fell to the ground, first on her knees, and then onto her side. She was unable to right herself and stand again. Too much of her was numb and refused to move.

"Sakura?" he was calling to her from somewhere far off.

There were other voices too as Rock Lee and Tenten came running to meet the pair. They must have been able to see the green stone webbed across her body since she heard a sharp intake of breath from both of them. Tenten sounded ready to break when she asked Neji what had happened. What did they see? Did they know what she needed? What happened to Neji?

"Your caged bird seal is gone, Neji!" Lee exclaimed. "You're a Main House family member now. How did you do it?" Neji was kneeling beside Sakura when she felt herself lifted up. It didn't hurt, but the motion made her dizzy. She was folded into Neji's arms and held close. 

"She did it. Her curse healed me of mine." He sounded almost frightened of her, but not in a bad way.

"We have to take her to a doctor, she's not moving and her breath is shallow," Tenten complained.

"No, that won't help, it's not a sickness," Lee countered, pointing to the Jade growing out of her arms where cuts separated skin from skin. "She's cursed on her own. She needs spiritual healing."

"No, she needs to go home." Sakura felt like melting when she heard those words from Neji. "We're going back to the cave."

"You can't!" behind them Choji was running up to meet them. The guards that should have been watching him were absent for whatever reason. His eyes were wide with fright, especially when they saw how unmoving Sakura was. "You'll all be killed."

"No," Tenten breathed, looking at Neji's face where nothing cursed remained. "Not this time. Lead us, Neji."

"Hyuga! Don't do this to her!" Choji's voice cracked, it was so frantic. He looked between the two others, searching for someone to take his side. "It's forbidden."

"It's the only thing that can save her now. I have to take her to the stone of discord, the black onyx will be the only thing that could nullify the Emperor's command. Lee, Tenten, to me."

Sakura wanted to sleep, to truly sleep. She was being strangled. She was tired and the world was too tight around her, even as the trio took to the skies like ninja, running up the side of the mountain towards the cave where another curse waited to be broken. She tried to say their names, but her lips were turning green from the jade in between her teeth. Would she make it like this? Choji ran along behind them, insistent on the futility of their quest.

Sakura saw the mouth of the cave pass overhead and then there was the glow in the darkness she remembered from the first time. She felt the chill and smelled the dank cave smell and knew where they were exactly, even if her eyes were failing. She couldn't see much anymore, but she could feel things and hear things still. She heard the stone growing inside of her and felt the coldness it brought when it took over parts of her lungs.

Not much time left.

"Hush, you will be saved," Neji assured her. Had she said that out loud? How had he heard her? Then there were the monsters. She saw the Jiang shi, still frozen and immobile, held in place by yellow slips of paper over the face with spells written on them. Neji moved between them without pause, and both Lee and Tenten followed after him, though their own movements were more hesitant. Neji knew he wouldn't be attacked anymore, knew he had control over them.

In no time at all, they were across the room with several un-dead Chinese zombies behind them, kneeling down in front of the largest slab of onyx salvaged. His arms were still around her, but he lowered her down. Lee was whining off to her left, sounding more like a wounded puppy. 

"She's so cold. Her skin is white as paper, Neji!"

"I know, I know!"

One of her lungs was made out of nothing but stone by now. Her eyes were turning red in the whites. Stone was in her ears too, taking away more and more of what she could hear. Tones made it through, she knew they cared about her, were worried about her, and frantic to save her, but she didn't know how. She didn't hear details.

She was about ready to lose herself completely, drown in Imperial Jade and become stone forever, when Neji lifted her hand up to touch the black stone slab. The green inside of her hissed and reacted violently, crawling back into nothing before the world went white and loud.

* * *

She was wet with sweat when she awoke, but she was quick to blame it all on the window she left open. When she cleaned herself for another full day of the job and work, she breathed extra deep, grateful for that privilege.

The last time she dreamed, there was no tea, just an engine room where a single figure sat looking bored with the layout of the world. Smoke drifted past the windows from the smokestack and underneath the white grate in front of her a red fire blazed.

"This is it," she said out loud, not bothering that Hayate already knew whatever she was going to say. "I'm at the end of it. Why make a whole level just this car, though?"

He looked up at her entrance, the cough in his chest too quiet to hear when he covered his mouth with the back of his hand. She couldn't help but narrow her eyes when she felt his gaze. There was still too much animosity fossilized in her heart to be completely comfortable around him.

"I still think you are a jerk, but this time I need to admit that you were right. I thought I knew how to play the game- that I knew everything I needed to know- but I was wrong and you were right. Thank you."

"I did nothing for your thanks. I am neutral in all things."

"I understand this, but it was your guidance I needed, and what ultimately saved my life. I won't pretend that didn't happen."

"Humility will be a key to your survival. It is good that you know that now. Many never unlearn the folly of their pride. Take what you have learned into the next world, and do not forget who you are right now." Sakura shrugged, taking a half step back and looking around the room once more.

"Okay, sure, but what does this room have to do with all that? It's the last one, right? I'm in the actual engine room for the train, this is as far as a person can go on a locomotive. Why?"

Hayate didn't say anything. Instead a set of leavers rose up out of the floor, each encrusted with rough gemstones. Sakura waited till they finished rising before approaching the set. There were four levers, one blue, one gold, one green, and one red.

The first lever was dark like a night sky with veins of white and blue diamonds growing out of it. Sakura reached for it and felt city lights on her skin, swing music in her blood, and easy laughter in her ears. It was enough to make her want to reach out and grab it, but she resisted. She knew this was a test of some sort, and she needed to know the deal with the other levers before doing anything more.

The second lever was a brass metal with gold veins hauntingly taunting her all up and down its side. The closer she drew to it the more she sensed the southwest frenzy of wild horses and the rattlesnake reflexes of a shootout in front of the ragtime heavy saloon. She smelled dust and gunsmoke, and knew there were tombstones in abundance beyond the lever.

The third lever was gaudy but fierce, with blood red rubies pooling down the sides like spilled blood. She smelled a relationship between paint and stone like that found in Italian renaissance fresco. She felt the wind and warning from high up places that stared down on busy market places, and shook with the echo of mighty church bells ringing for mass. Machiavellian princes bled for these streets.

The last lever was striped with what she thought was emerald at first, but upon closer exception she discovered it to be peridot. The gem pulsed with energy and an undercurrent of electricity. Neon lights flashed behind her eyes and the red streak of a motor bike's tail light painted across her vision as it sped down a highway between two high-rises. The energy thrummed in time with the techno beats pushing out of a club where robots played DJ for the night. She pulled back for the fresh air knowing a bit more about the levers in front of her.

"They're choices. Why would you give me a choice in where I would want to go for the next world?" she asked, taking care to stay an even distance away from each lever. She didn't trust one to pull on her like a magnet and compel her to choose it.

"The location or setting for our next act is of little importance to me. The narrative will be no different. Make your choice, but choose wisely. Some worlds have more friends than others."

The levers in gold and red didn't seem hospitable. Sakura doubted either lever led to a world with a lot of people she could rely upon. The last lever wasn't too different, but while it did convey a sense of collaboration, it was a hazy sort that seemed likely to be stimulated by reveries and less by genuine interest.

Sakura assumed she had an idea of what each lever would lead her to. The green reminded her of old animes like Ego Proxy, Ghost in the Shell, and Akira, as well as the musical duo Daft Punk. She didn't doubt a cyberpunk themed world waited for her beyond that lever. She could almost see it when she reached out for it.

Sakura doubted the red lever was anything other than the Machiavellian era world, where assassins in white cloaks creep along the ledges and hangings of buildings while men of the Italian centered renaissance painted, invented, and bickered.

The lever with gold veins screamed gold rush, and took her back to when she was seven on the living room floor of her grandmother's house, watching The Quick and The Dead. It had been her favorite western since. She saw the Old West, and heard the ragtime clear as day as it danced from the strings of a semi warped piano.

The last lever looked like it was made out of a stolen swatch of night sky, and when she reached out for it, she felt the cold laughter of speakeasies, prohibition, big band, swing, and city lights. A man in a long coat and pinstripes smoked under a lamplight, showing off the polished curve of his classy haircut. The world made her want to dance in a dress made of sequins with a boy as dangerous as her heart.

"Make your choice."

Sakura looked back over her shoulder at the sickly man who watched her with veiled interest. It didn't seem like there was a world he favored over the others, but she couldn't tell for sure. He didn't seem eager for any choice in particular, but he seemed interested in seeing what she would pick.

Sakura didn't say anything back, but reached out and pulled the blue lever, losing herself in the trappings of a new world.

* * *

Sakura figured she had little less than a month left before her curse started up again. Until then, she was going to forget about all the trauma and grief that clung to her like a tumor. When her friends all went to the ren fest together, she was one of the most lively members of the group, weaving a homemade flower crown to match her costume dress from three halloweens ago. Karin made out with Suigetsu over a turkey leg, Ami took photos, and Sakura screamed the loudest for her knight to be crowned champion in the jousting tournament.

By the time the group made it back, they were all so tired and sun sore, no one managed to make it upstairs. The trio of girls flopped out on the back porch with a pitcher of lemonade and a set of plastic beach chairs. They were all sore, but it was a good kind of sore that meant they had all played to their heart's content.

Sakura was so tired she almost didn't hear the car coming up the driveway, Ami had to poke Sakura in the arm to get the older girl's attention. Sakura pouted but Karin laughed, saying if it was Sakura's house she had to deal with the solicitors. When Sakura complained again, Ami rolled her eyes and got up to answer the door before the person even had a chance to climb the steps.

"She spoils you," Karin said evenly.

"I deserve to be spoiled once in a while, and I can't rely on you for that anymore now that you have a man-man."

"A man-man? What is that?" Karin raised a single brow. 

"It's not a boyfriend, it's a man you like… I guess. It's the dude you always try to suck the face off of. Ami's seeing someone but she's not an embarrassment to the human race with Zaku."

"She's young. She'll get there." Karin didn't seem offended.

Before Sakura could say anything more, she noticed Ami walked back, looking worried. The front door was left open a crack, and the shoulder and leg of a woman were briefly glimpsed. Sakura knew this person was here to see her before Ami could even reach the pair. Groaning, Sakura lifted herself up and hobbled over to meet her younger friend, pulling out her flower crown along the way. Ami met her halfway before turning and walking back towards the front door with Sakura beside her. 

"She insisted on seeing you and I thought you might be sensitive, so I told her to wait outside, but she's… um, you know, here."

Sakura winced, imagining her mother at the door. It was the only person she could think of to make her grimace. She didn't say anything more, didn't ask any pointless questions, but beelined for the door and pulled it open the rest of the way.

The willowy blond with Mediterranean blue eyes and a smile that sold magazine covers looked up with a beaming grin and flawless eye liner. 

"Sakura," she exclaimed. "It's been too long."

Sakura was frozen where she stood.

It was a thousand years ago and it was yesterday. Sakura felt old and childish together as she looked out and saw the person who had, at one point, been the closest human being in Sakura's life. Nearly three years had passed since then. Two and a half years since the pair last spoke, last saw each other, since they went their separate ways.

Sakura was confused and flabbergasted, but recovered quickly when she heard Ami coming back. Ino hadn't recognized the girl, but there was no way Ino wouldn't recognize Karin.

Sakura grabbed Ami's arm and dragged the girl backwards, away from the door. 

"Don't let Karin know. Keep her distracted. I'm going on a walk."

"But what should I tell her?" Ami didn't understand Sakura's stiff reaction. While Ami had been only a year behind Sakura in school, the social drama wasn't as well known. Ami had no idea what Ino was to Karin or Sakura- only that Sakura and Ino used to be as close, if not closer, than Karin and Sakura now. Ino didn't bother to pretend like she hadn't overheard everything. 

"I'm only staying for a spell, you see, I have a plane that leaves tonight so I can't stay long." Ino turned from Ami to Sakura with her eyes. "Just enough time for a walk, okay?"

Ami didn't understand, but she didn't need to.

Without another word, Sakura turned from her friend and crossed over the threshold, closing the front door behind her. Ino was watching Sakura with impish eyes that were too blue for the natural world. She had only grown more beautiful since high school. If the modeling thing hadn't worked out Sakura would have been surprised.

"We have to talk," Sakura said in a muted voice, already feeling a little like she was separate from her body and the emotions buried there.

"Yes," Ino answered back. "Yes we do."

* * *

  
  


"She spun herself a crown of gold, thrones of bones and citadels.

To the deaf stars she screamed, "make me queen or i'll make you bleed."

AMBITION - M.J.


	4. Enter the Kingdom of Monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please thank nightmarenip so much for this chapter, the most delightful beta reader in the kingdom!

A great while ago, when the world was full of wonders...

* * *

**OBELISK:**

**Kingdom of Monsters**

### Enter the Kingdom

_"The old world is dying away, and the new world struggles to come forth: now is the time of monsters."_

_— Antonio Gramsci_

* * *

She took a walk in the darkness and the deer followed close behind. When she stopped beside the splintered oak, charred and blackened by April lightning, they nibbled at her hands. She returned to her bed with dirtied toes and dead tree bark under her fingernails to inspect in the morning.

_"When you speak I hear silence, every word a defiance. I can hear, oh I can hear…."_

Her dress was cut from filtered starlight, pieced together with deft hands that knew just how to make every angle, every curve, every subtle rise, look as perfect as poetry on her body. Sakura's fingers trailed down the beaded stitching before turning her eyes upwards once more. She was radiant, but not entirely clear on where she was.

She came alive into this new kingdom so suddenly, she had hardly a second to process what was happening. She woke up on a plush velvet settee, in a dark room with a cityscape view peaking through the cracks between curtains. She reached for one, pulling it back just enough to get a peek at what was outside. She kept her breath between her teeth, even as her eyes widened.

She was in the city, the lights were never so lovely anywhere else, in a high rise building decorated tastefully with gothic deco and hanging gargoyles. New York City never looked so pretty.

_"Think I'll go where it suits me, moving out to a country…"_

There was a voice behind Sakura that made her gut clench. It was the song of a siren and she couldn't ignore it. Sakura turned away from the window and saw a door to her room swing open on its own. The music and sorrow-filled song floated through the opening, beckoning to her.

Sakura picked up a pinch of her dress and moved out towards the music, finding a black, spiral stairway that led down into a hallway. Following it, the hallway opened up into a showroom that had much more potential in spite of its bare furnishings. The way it was set up, it felt more like a private lounge with only a single table set in front of a low stage with dim lights.

Sakura expected to meet an actor on the stage, or to at least see a new character in the dream world, but the form on the stage was not what she expected. The figure in front of her was pale with short, curled hair pinned close to her face and haunting green eyes that made the rest of her pink hair stand out. The singer looked just like a clone of Sakura.

The singer Sakura saw the dreamer Sakura and smiled wide before shattering into a body of sea foam that spilled out over the stage to lap at Sakura's feet.

Sakura skittered back, tripping and falling back into one of the seats set at the table- abet heard coughing and turned to see Hayate sitting in the seat opposite from her. He didn't look amused, but the bored daze that she remembered in his demeanor was gone. There was an undercurrent of excitement trapped behind his eyes.

"What was that?" Sakura asked quickly, not bothering with pleasantries.

"That was you, or at least your role in this world. The Sigh of Dejection never was so clever, and Kimimaro had no artistic abilities to speak of, so you've never entered a kingdom with a backstory, have you?" Sakura felt a single brow raise on her face.

"A backstory? What are you talking about- giving me a role? I'm the dreamer, that's always been my role." He coughed before answering. 

"But not one that suits or even compliments the world of your kingdom. The role of the dreamer is a role of convenience. When actors ask who you are, where you're coming from, or who you know in town, you've never had the luxury of a backstory to seat their curiosities. It's not a terrible drawback, or even a disadvantage, but I find the addition of a culturally appropriate role for each kingdom is more tasteful."

"I still don't understand what I just saw with my body double. Why did you show me that?"

"It's your role, I said that already. In this world you're a club singer, a damn good one if I have anything to say of it. You're relocating from Chicago to New York City to sing for the Midnight Lantern, a popular club that doubles as a speakeasy during this period of prohibition. The pay is better, if anyone asks why."

"What does that have to do with my finding the Obelisk and getting out of here?"

Hayate covered his mouth with his hand and shook a little as he tried to hold back the cough but couldn't. Sakura noticed his eyes seemed red around the edges, like he had been hacking worse earlier. When the shaking stopped, he looked up and glared a bit at her. 

"That's not information a truly neutral guide would divulge so early on in the game. I have other purposes for bringing you here. You're young, a girl, and a siren who works in dangerous environments for a living. It wouldn't be seemingly to not have a manager to represent your best interests. Before you leave for the morning, this narrative will establish such a person for you.”

Sakura grimaced, not knowing what to make of the new rules. It had been difficult at times to enter into a world with no backstory or prior knowledge to help explain her presence. Sakura thought of the Monarch Woods, but it had never proved a major hindrance. She always managed to get by. The way Hayate had it set up, it was as if she started lying to everyone right away, at least that was how it felt in her heart.

"I can't sing," she finally said, looking back to the empty stage.

Once, when she was a little girl obsessed with pop stars on the radio, she had dreamed of a life under the lights like nearly every little girl in her grade… but little girls with dreams grow up, and Sakura did. She wasn't terrible, but she wasn't worth listening to if she wanted to sing.

"You forget you are dreaming. Here, you can do anything."

"I can't leave."

"Leaving doesn't qualify as 'anything.' Leaving is 'something.'" Sakura just glared over at the guide. He seemed indifferent to her expression of dislike. 

"Don't believe me? Try it."

Sakura stood but didn't walk onto the stage, she didn't even leave the table. She just stood beside it while watching the place reserved for her in front of the microphone. She remembered the vision of herself made up of sea foam splashing around her ankles. She remembered the song lyrics in their order. Closing her eyes, she remembered the song and it remembered her.

" _When you speak I hear silence, every word a defiance. I can hear, oh I can hear… Think I'll go where it suits me, moving out to a country… with everyone, oh, everyone, before we all become one!_ "

Sakura fell into something like saltwater, strong and heavy and warm all around her. There was something crying in her chest, and it feasted on her heart as the words tumbled out.

" _Tell yourself that you're lu-cky… Lying down never struck me as something fun, oh, any fun…_ "

There were memories budding behind her eyes like wild roses in thorn thickets. She saw herself singing in front of an aquarium as illuminated jellyfish drifted. There were tears in her eyes and sobs from the audience. 

" _Stabbing pain for the feel-ing Now your wounds never healing 'Til you mumble, "Is it bad?" before we all become oneeee…_ "

She didn't open her eyes even after the song had finished. She was reverent for the silence. Hayate pretended not to notice the soft tears caught in the corners of her eyelashes.

There was a scuffle of shoes across wood, and Sakura finally looked up, still feeling caught in the ethos from earlier. Kakashi Hatake stood at the end of the room, dressed in a pale gray suit with his hands in his pockets. His posture was nonchalant, but Sakura saw underneath the facade how truly frightened he was of her; but Kakashi was a man who played with lightning and danced with the times that scared him.

"Just as I remembered it," he commented, still staring at her with those god fearing eyes. One was mostly covered behind a downturn of hair but at least the rest of his face was visible. "You'll be the death of me, Sakura."

"Kakashi…what are you…?" Sakura looked back at Hayate for clarification. He was the one who wanted her to have a backstory. The least he could do was fill her in.

Hayate didn't smile, but Sakura thought she saw the shadow of a curved lip when he leaned forward across the table to fold his hands. 

"Kakashi, it's been a long time eh? I was just telling Sakura to expect your arrival, and here you are." Kakashi laughed easily, rubbing the back of his head. 

"Speak of the devil… but that makes sense now. I was wondering how you knew my name."

Sakura glanced back over her shoulder at Hayate and looked back to Kakashi before he could notice. She had to remember that this was supposed to be their first time meeting. It would be fine, he hadn't been one of the actors she interacted with for any significant amount of time in any of the past worlds. It would be easy to start from scratch.

"Hayate was just mentioning you, but he hadn't gotten to the part regarding why I should know you. Ah, forgive me," Sakura said, picking at the side of her skirt and inclining her head. "My name is Sakura Haruno, nice to meet you." Kakashi bowed in response. 

"Kakashi Hatake, at your eternal service. The pleasure is all mine, I assure you." Straightening up she caught a glimpse of the eye he kept behind heavy bangs and it winked at her. "I'm a talent manager and professional persons guard."

"Persons guard?"

"A body guard, if you will,” Hayate answered around another cough. "For protection."

Sakura thought of her bone sword, of her pistols, and the knives she had laced with poison. There was a reason they were necessary in every world. What would be her weapon in the Kingdom of Monsters? She feigned ignorance. 

"Protection from what?"

"All and any ilk who think it's within their power to do anything concerning you. That means thugs for competitive clubs, out of control fans, and the over zealous admirers who don't know their place. You would be surprised how brutal New York can be." Sakura just rolled her shoulders, pretending to be indifferent to the conversation. 

"Chicago was no cakewalk." Kakashi didn't seem to mind her air of indifference, or if it annoyed him he didn't let it show.

"You had Hayate and the Mizu family in Chicago. Few would dare trouble you there with such connections."

"Hayate isn't coming?" Sakura turned to stare at the dream guide in faked sorrow. It wasn't enough to move him to emotion though. 

"That is what I meant to say before we were interpreted. I'll visit often enough, but I have my own matters that require my attention. I've called on Kakashi because I trust his ability almost as much as his devotion to your success. Also he has a lot of dogs. You'll like them, you like dogs." Before Sakura could ask anything else, Kakashi was quick to interject, adding on to what Hayate had already said. 

"I've been an admirer of your voice for years and believe in the work that you do. I've known Hayate for a few years, so he already knows the extent of my abilities, but I've never failed a client in all my years of service.

It sounded like Kakashi was a groupie, or a fan of whatever Sakura did as a club singer. The way he watched her was the way little girls watched Beyonce.

"You've seen me perform before? When I was in Chicago?" Kakashi laughed nervously.

"I had a little issue with one of the Mizu boys. Zabuza and I have since worked things out. Ah, here." Reaching into a pocket inside his suit, he pulled out what looked like a book of matches. On the cover was an illustration of a pink haired mermaid singing to sailors while waves crash against rocks behind her.

"That's supposed to be me," Sakura said, trying not to seem surprised. "When did they hand these out?"

"More than a year ago. It's an old concept, but I still enjoy it." Sakura didn't miss how all of the matches were still inside. 

"You haven't used it, though."

"I wanted to save it." His grin was hard to miss, even though it felt like he was trying to hide it. 

"Hayate said you were a talent manager. Does that mean you will be securing my booking appointments with clubs?" Sakura took a half step back and held her arms under the elbows, looking him over again. 

"Among other things, yes, that is one of my duties. I already have a month long contract set up with a club owned by the Uchiha coven and managed by an old friend of mine. It will be a great opportunity to springboard you into New York City's nightlife."

Something about the language made her uneasy. The name Uchiha should have been enough to send red flags up in her head, but it was actually the word coven that made her twitch. That was an unusual way to refer to a group of people. Were they witches?

"Coven?" Sakura asked, hoping Kakashi would explain. The silver haired man nodded.

"One of the larger ones too. They are all hybrid tengu, but in an effort to westernize they're distancing themselves from the name, so don't tell them I told you that. I think the term they prefer is 'the fallen' or bastard angels or something melodramatic like that."

"You don't sound like you like them very much."

"They're all assholes, pretty much." Kakashi's smile never faltered. 

"And yet you're friends with this one I'm going to be singing for?"

"Yes, but he's a lovable asshole, the exception if you will."

Behind them Hayate stood and coughed, drawing the pair's attention. 

"It's getting late and our talent needs her rest, but before you leave, I think it would be prudent that she became familiar with your 'other' appearance. The last thing I think either of us would like is for it to take her by surprise at the wrong moment." Sakura didn't miss how Kakashi stiffened beside her, clearly uncomfortable with the suggestion.

"That… does seem wise…" He glanced down at Sakura before turning his attention back towards the coughing man. "What did you have in mind?"

Without a word, Hayate jerked his head back, eyes rolling towards a direction behind him before he started to walk in that direction. Sakura didn't move right away, not knowing if it was appropriate for her to follow, but Kakashi took her by the elbow and led her down the hallway Hayate took. He pulled his hand away as soon as she started walking, as if he was afraid of touching her.

She wondered about what Hayate meant when he said 'other' appearance. If it was something that would take her by surprise, she guessed it had to be something drastic. At the very least, it made Kakashi nervous.

He didn't seem like the type to get nervous very easily, but considering how little she knew of him, she couldn't admit that was something she knew with any level of certainty. Their encounters in the Kingdom of Man were minimal, but he had always been kind, the soft kind of kindness that didn't hesitate to buy pop after a dust storm wreaked havoc on her lungs. How much more would she learn of him in this world if he was supposed to be her manager?

"Here," Hayate said, interrupting her thoughts.

Sakura looked up and saw they were in front of a pair of french double doors that led outside to a plant heavy garden. It was nighttime in the dream world, or early morning. The stars were brighter than she ever remembered them being in New York, but that was because they were further from the city, somewhere upstate. In this time period there probably wasn't enough electricity to drown out the stars, even in the city.

"What do you want me to….?" Kakashi's words trailed off when he noticed something Sakura had not. Across the garden, chain to a post and bound in iron was a large black dog with a streak of silver running down his back. Even so far away, Sakura could see it was impossibly big for a dog. She shivered, remembering the wolves from the Monarch Woods.

"Hayate!" she hissed, feeling betrayed. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. 

"It's not the same. Look again."

She did and saw a man wearing nothing but chains, straining against his bonds to get at them. The man snarled, and it was wolf-like. Sakura shivered, taking a half step back, more unsettled than frightened. She could hear the chains straining and something was going to give soon.

"Kakashi," Hayate intoned. The sleepy eyed male pointed towards the bound man. "Protect her."

At his command, the shackles shattered and the man was no longer man, but wolf, or something caught between the two. Claws and teeth and human eyes, longer and larger than anything before was lunging for her. Sakura reached for her own blade, prepared to draw it out, but lightning in her hand sent her to her knees. Her arm felt numb and when she looked down she saw Imperial Jade on her fingertips. But as quickly as it appeared, it faded and fell away, dead rocks for the earth to swallow up.

She looked to Hayate, fear making time slow down around her. Her wide eyes saw everything. Hayate shook his head, ever so slightly. Kakashi was stepping out in front of her, running to meet her attacker head on, and she was completely powerless for the first time in a long time while inside of the dream.

"Didn't I say the actors were vital to your survival?"

He pointed and she followed his finger to see Kakashi mid leap. He was a man and then he wasn't. Brilliant as a bolt of silver lightning, he twisted into an attack that landed his crushing jaws on the throat of his opponent before either could touch the ground. With a sound like bed sheets ripping, the other man's blood was on the grass along with the innermost aspects of his throat.

Kakashi stood up straight, stiff. He glanced over at the pair and Sakura saw that one of his eyes, the one he normally kept covered, was just as red as the blood running down his mouth. His suit was torn too, but not enough to leave him naked. He still had his trousers and his undershirt, though the white fabric was torn enough to expose the rising and falling of his bare chest. Sakura saw scars there, hidden underneath the shreds of fabric.

His eyes were pained, and Sakura understood a little too well the reason for it. He was watching her and she was still on her knees in the glass, shaking and wide eyed from what happened with the earlier summoning attempt. His hesitance from before seemed to make sense now.

Sakura stood and shoved at Hayate, grabbing the handkerchief from his breast pocket, the one he didn't cough into, and crossed the grassy part of the garden to stop in front of Kakashi. He took a step back, trying to put distance between the pair of them, but Sakura grabbed onto what used to be his shirt and curled her fist into it, refusing to let him go.

"I'm a mess, you'll get your dress dirty." His eyes, both the red and the black, were wide at her appearance. He held up his hands, palms up, trying to ward her off.

"There are other dresses," Sakura sighed, reaching forward to rub the worst of the blood from his face. He grunted a bit, the way dogs did when Sakura held their faces, but Sakura didn't let Kakashi go. She just clicked her tongue and tried harder. She dragged the fabric over his jaw, under his chin and down his neck till the blood was more on her handkerchief than his skin. When there was nothing more she could do, she stepped back but not away from him. She was still close enough to reach out and touch him if she wanted to.

Kakashi was so much taller than her, that when they were so close he had to bend his neck a little to look down at her. His expression was pained. 

"I told you I was a mess, and now you have it on you too."

There were spots of red on her dress, but she didn't care. Nothing in this world meant much to her, least of all the material goods. She shrugged, rolling her eyes. 

"I have others." There was almost a quirk of his lips.

"I know." Whatever made him happy didn't last, as his smile fell soon after. "You saw it then? You saw how- what I become when I have to in a fight."

"Yeah, you become a mess. Thanks for the heads up, but I'm not good with tailoring or sewing. You're going to have to find someone else for this," she sighed, fingering a piece of shredded fabric.

"Ah, I forgot to hold back," he mused, still not as carefree as he had been when they met. His transformation must have really shaken him. Did he hate what he became so much?

"Traditionally, werewolves don't have such excellent control of their transformations. It's only because of the Uchiha's gift that you have the level of control that you do." Both turned to see Hayate coming up behind Sakura. "But that's what makes you perfect for Sakura. You'll do well as her guardian. There are few creatures strong or stupid enough to mess with the Silver Wolf of Boston's gardens."

If nothing else made Kakashi flinch or angry that night, the name Hayate used to refer to him made Kakashi bristle violently. Something about the nickname carried more than just a negative connotation for the not quite human.

Kakashi was a werewolf and he said the Uchiha were a coven of tengu. If Sakura remembered her Japanese mythology well enough, tengu were the monk-like bird men monsters that lived on sacred mountains in Japan. Kakashi was a werewolf and the Uchiha were tengu. No, Kakashi was a werewolf and the Uchiha were bird monsters. Sakura looked up sharply at Hayate and he almost smiled, before coughing into his fist.

"Yes, child. Welcome to the Kingdom of Monsters. Make friends."

Sakura had been told more than once today that she needed to smile. Apparently she looked ready to kill someone, and she didn't doubt it. She woke up pissed and too many things kept happening to keep her in a state of constant Pissed with a capital P.

It was a stressful day of terrible food, not enough shampoo in the shower, and too many fuck-boys who thought it was their sacred duty to make her as physically appealing to their fantasies with a smile. It was a good thing she wasn't in retail, because she was sure she would have been fired or at the very least, written off for how she responded to the fourth and last guy.

It was later in the afternoon by the time she got home, which was great, because she didn't want to spend any more time outside in the world if she had to. When she walked in, she noticed right away that Ami had all her camera and photo editing stuff splayed out on the coffee table in the living room. The icon on her laptop computer said that her download was complete and something about files being ready to edit.

Sakura turned in the doorway to look outside and noticed Ami's car missing from the driveway. She must have stepped out for a spell, that was why the door had been locked. It reminded Sakura of another reason she and Karin would make terrible roommates. Karin forgot to lock doors and turn off lights when she left a room, but Sakura never forgot.

Slipping out of her shoes and moving into the kitchen to drop off her purse and pick up some food, Sakura began to make an early dinner for one. There was leftover chicken and some cranberries from the farmer's market so she made a simple chicken salad that actually took longer to assemble than to eat.

Still feeling hungry, Sakura was filling a tumbler with water and lime slices when she heard Ami's car pull in. Peeking out of the kitchen, she was just in time to see Ami trying to sneak in a canvas bag that was bulging with whatever it was she had just purchased. When Ami saw Sakura, she froze like a deer in the headlights.

"What did you get from Bath and Body Works?" Sakura narrowed her eyes. 

"I-it's…they were having a sale, it's not my fault." The poor girl looked pale. Sakura rolled her eyes. 

"Your mom already blew up at you once this week for your spending habits. It's too early for you to be pulling the 'daddy' card again. It needs time to recharge."

"But no one was here to stop me, and it was taking so long to load, and I had nothing else to do, and-"

"I got it!" Sakura threw her hands up in the air. "I get it, I get it, but your program is done now. Put your junk away and do what you need to do with the computer. It's eating my electricity."

Ami didn't put her things away, but dropped the canvas bag down next to the couch and started pulling out bottles of hand moisturizers in different scents. Each one was apparently mean for a different person, with less than half of them going to Ami herself. As impulsive and frustrating as Ami could be, she still had a heart that wanted to bless people. The younger girl pulled out the last two bottles and passed them over to Sakura. 

"And this is shampoo, because I saw you were low. Use it with this conditioner and your hair won't get so frizzy, promise."

It wasn't the kind she bought normally, but she recognized the brand as being one of the fancier ones she never seemed able to afford. Taking the containers in one hand, Sakura reached out with her other arm and pulled Ami to her side in a strong hug. Ami sputtered and tried to get out of it, but Sakura just laughed, feeling less tired all of a sudden.

"Oh for the sake of- get off me, I have work to do!"

Sakura left with a motherly kiss to the younger's forehead to put her things away. By the time she came back down, Ami was already flying through photos on her computer, pulling the good ones to edit in her new program. Sakura sat down on the couch behind Ami to watch. Most of the photos were from the Renaissance Festival way back when, but there were newer ones too.

"I don't recognize those people, do you know them from somewhere else?" Sakura asked, once she spotted a pair of girls in front of an old barn. They looked like professional models.

"Internet friends, we did a photo shoot last week." Sakura breathed out a short breath.

"You're really good, Ami. You should see about advertising for photo sessions, then you wouldn't have to bug your parents for money so much." Ami made a face like she didn't like the idea. 

"Yeah, but then I'd have to work for people with money. I don't want to work with just anyone, I want to do fashion shoots, not engagement photos and family photos." She made another face. "Or newborn photos, no- no way."

"But you want to be a photographer." Ami slowed down, stopping her cycling on the computer. 

"Yeah," she said looking back at Sakura. "This is what I want to do." Sakura shrugged.

"You should set up a website for your business and advertise for senior photos and fashion shoots for sure, but try not to turn away work if it's not to your liking. In work, we all have to do shit we don't like, but that's so we can survive in our field. I don't know anyone who only does what they like at work."

"Working sounds like hell."

"It kind of is." Ami made another face, but turned back to pat Sakura's head.

"I'm sorry poor person who has to work to survive." Sakura glowered.

"Watch it. You're still in my house." Ami chuckled, turning back to her photos.

"I'll put something up this week and see how it does. I'll let my parents know too, they might have some connections I can bounce off of. Dad plays around with enough models…"

"Ugh." Sakura rolled her eyes, not knowing if it was appropriate to laugh at a joke that was a little too close to home.

"Speaking of models…" Ami swiped out of her active page and pulled up an old internet page. Sakura stiffened right away when she saw what it was. Ami clicked through the photos till she found a single shot. "You two used to know each other pretty well. Did she ever come back after that one day?" Sakura shook her head, still staring at the photo of Ino on a rooftop in New York City surrounded by flowers and garden plants. 

"She made her dream happen, I guess."

"She might still be in New York. There are a lot of- Sakura." Ami sounded distant. The girl with green eyes shut them and shook her head. 

"No, nothing, never mind. I was… my memories were taking me back, that's all. I don't think she'll be back. She has nothing to gain from reconnecting with me. I can't help her any, so it wouldn't make sense."

"You two used to be such great friends, though. Like… before. What happened?"

"What did you hear?" Now it was Sakura's turn to make a face.

"Just that the two of you had a falling out when you became friends with Karin. Was that why you didn't want Karin to know who was at the door?"

"That's partly true. Karin and Ino are… dangerous together. I don't know what would happen and I don't want to test it to find out, but the reason for my falling out with Ino doesn't have anything to do with Karin. The timing was just odd like that. At the end of high school I was applying for scholarships and stuff, I had to write an essay for this one college out in California that would have been perfect for medicine. I lost the essay the week before, and like all great brilliance, the second draft was really shoddy. I couldn't remember what I wrote so I didn't try to copy it, and I was so pissed."

Sakura paused, noticing how Ami was listening intently. This wasn't the sort of story Sakura wasn't to be talking about, but it was better than keeping things in the dark.

"Ino won the scholarship. When they published her essay on the college website, I was beyond pissed when I saw it was my piece. Yeah, so when I went to her about it she admitted to it all and was so… she felt she was justified in what she did because there was no other way for her. I could get other scholarships because I was smart and had good grades, she said. Ino didn't have much going for her and her family was even more of a mess than mine at the time. She wouldn't apologize, and that was the end of things. I guess she got something out of it, though. At least…"

Sakura ended with a shrug of her shoulders, feeling so old and distant from the story. Back when it had been going on, she had been ready to mess Ino up for it, and likely would have, if it wasn't for their decade long friendship. The pair had been buddies since grade school, and while they began drifting apart in high-school, the way they ended was violent. It was a shame, really, because there had been so much there for so long.

"Do you want to make up?" Ami asked, still not paying attention to her photos. Sakura shrugged once again.

"I don't know. I've gotten to the point where I'm ready to forgive her, but I doubt I could ever trust her again. Either way, I'm not going to see her again unless she finds me. I have no way of contacting her."

"Would you, if you could?"

Sakura had to think about it. She hated the anger she had to live with after their falling out. Even the memory of it made something in her mouth turn sour. She didn't like animosity, even when it had been with someone other than her friend. Karin had been the bane of her existence all the way up to near graduation, but now she couldn't imagine a life without that friendship. Even Ami had been a wonderful surprise.

"Maybe. I think it would have to be her that reached out to me, though. If I went back into that relationship without the damage being identified, I run the risk of being used again. What hurt me the most was how she didn't even… when I confronted her about it, she didn't see what she had done wrong. That was what cut me. To this day, I can still remember her face when we talked. I was too stunned to say anything for what seemed like forever, and then I wanted to sock her in the face. I'm not going to be angry like that anymore, but a friendship with that sort of mentality is not healthy."

"Okay, that's good to hear." Ami nodded. She turned back to her computer and the photos started pulling up again. Sakura sat back on the couch and pulled out her phone, content to browse social media with her friend in the background.

When Sakura woke up in the dream world, she was sitting in the backseat of a car, leaning up against Kakashi's broad shoulder. Outside, the city was growing closer and closer as more and more lights turned on as dusk drew in. She blinked once, to bring everything into focus before lifting her head. Kakashi noticed right away.

"You're finally awake."

"I'm sorry," Sakura said before a yawn cut her off. "I don't remember falling asleep." Kakashi was smiling, not bothering to pull away from her even when she sat up.

"Hayate did warn me you slept a lot. I thought he was just talking about you being nocturnal."

"It comes with the job," Sakura said around another yawn. "How long have I been in this car?" Kakashi chuckled, tapping the window. 

"Almost two hours. I'm sorry it's such slow driving, there was a detour that set us back thirty minutes. We're almost there. Do you see the pier lights?"

Sakura scooted closer to Kakashi's window. Outside, she could see golden yellow lights that bounced off the water from below the piers. There was a ferris wheel and carnival attractions lining the docks up and down. Sakura didn't recognize the dock or the surrounding area, and wondered if her city looked so different eighty years ago.

"It's lovely!" she breathed, seeing the carousel and gathering crowds. "Is it always there?" Kakashi shook his head.

"No, they move. They just rolled in, though, so you have a month or so of their company before they pick up and go somewhere else. Obito will be pleased. Even as an old man, he likes the rides. He's a dork, you'll like him and his wife, Rin. They're a nice couple I've known since we were all children."

"Kakashi as a child, that would be interesting to imagine," Sakura chuckled. Outside, the lights were passing, and she felt a tug on her heart, wanting to go there. "Can we make a quick stop? I want to see the pier."

"I'll take you on your first free night, but we can't make a stop now, we're already late. You'll have less time to become familiar with the layout before performing. I apologize for the delay, I would have liked it if you had more time to meet and greet."

The lights were pulling away when they rounded a bend into the city, and Sakura felt the tug on her heart lessen. She would explore that area for the Obelisk later. It was a better idea to get situated and make friends with the actors, especially since Hayate kept her from summoning anything. She would have to rely on Kakashi for the time being.

They must have been close, since Kakashi began to unconsciously lean forward, body tensing in anticipation. His eyes tracked movements outside the car, weary of all of them. He was her manager, but he was also her protector, her monster protector.

"Is there something you're suspicious of?" Sakura asked, not wanting to feel so nervous. Seeing Kakashi on edge put her on edge. He eased back into his seat, turning his eyes away from the outside. 

"No, It's a force of habit. There isn't any reason for there to be a problem tonight. We should be safe enough, but one can never be too careful in this city, especially when you work with the Uchiha. If we can get away without adopting their enemies, we'll be in fit shape."

"Uchiha are popular people, I take it." Kakashi shrugged, still smiling.

"Just assholes, mostly. Remember? They're a big family that's not good at playing nice, you tend to make plenty of enemies that way, you know?" He looked out the window again and inhaled sharply. "We're almost there. That's the club, there."

He pointed to something, and Sakura followed his finger to a nice looking restaurant that had quaint little lights lined up outside from the banisters, like something out of a Parisian cafe at night. There were a handful of people loitering outside, all dressed well, looking ready to slip in for some nice dinner.

Kakashi had the driver take them around the back, and once they were off the street he led Sakura to a back entrance not easily noticeable from the shadows. Sakura thought it unnerving, but once he pushed the door in, light flooded the alleyway and Sakura heard the familiar havoc and chatter of a busy kitchen staff. No one paid them any mind as Kakashi expertly weaved the pair of them through the mess into a hallway with several doors. One of them had MANAGER written on it. Noticing the gold lettering, Kakashi tugged on her elbow again before dropping his hand to push open the door without knocking.

A man sat bent over a rolodex of business cards, looking for something with frustration. He started speaking before even looking up. 

"I told you I was handling the- Kakashi! You're late again, and here I thought you had grown up some, bastard. I'd wring your neck if my wife would let me."

The man stood up from behind his desk, leaving his business cards in a mess atop his desk to round it in his approach to his late friend. Sakura could only assume it was Obito, the old friend Kakashi spoke of earlier. He was dark like an Uchiha, reminding her of Itachi and Shisui. On one side of his face, under his eye and across his cheek, were a band of scars that did little to subtract from his natural good looks. Aside from his face, he was dressed in a charcoal colored three piece suit with a dull blue necktie. Kakashi laughed nervously, holding his hands up, palms out in a mock sign of surrender. 

"Sorry, sorry, the road had delays. But I'm here now, aren't I? And what's better is that I brought along the best talent this club's ever seen. In a night, you'll be on your knees thanking me."

"Hardly." Still, Obito turned his eyes away from Kakashi to see Sakura for the first time. There was only a mini second of surprises before he regained his composure and blinked his wide eyes back to normal sized. A second later he smiled, holding out his hand to her. "Ms. Haruno, it's such a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Obito Uchiha. I heard tales of your enchantment in the windy city. I pray you will be so gracious with us here tonight. When my wife comes in you must meet her, she'll be delighted."

"I'm quite delighted myself," Sakura said, inclining her head in his direction with a secret sort of smile. "I apologize for the delay, It's not in my nature to arrive unprofessionally."

"You're here now, and that's the important thing. With this guy here," Obito jabbed a thumb at Kakashi, "You never know. He's been known to be days late."

"You wound me, Obito. We were children."

"You were nineteen, that's not the age of a child."

"It wasn't that long ago." Kakashi laughed nervously.

There was a knock on the door behind them, and all three turned to see a younger woman with short brown hair and a nervous scattering of freckles across her face lean in. 

"The audience is getting cozy, boss, what should I tell them?"

"We're sticking to what we had planned, let the live band keep them warm while our talent gets herself ready." Obito looked over at Sakura. "I can give you a half hour, but that's it."

Sakura had a hard time imagining what she would need to do in a half hour before going on stage, because she was in a dream and everything she needed came with her sleep. She felt along her neck and noticed how bare it was. 

"Is there a dressing room I can make myself decent in?" Sakura asked. Obito nodded. 

"Sara will show you the way. Your luggage should already be in there, ready and waiting."

"Thank you," Sakura said, inclining her head again. "I'll be out shortly."

The little Italian girl led Sakura through the back hallway to a set of dressing rooms and pushed open the first one, letting Sakura see inside the small room with a suitcase bearing her name leaning up against the wall. There was a vanity and a cream colored daybed, a changing screen, and plenty of wall hooks left bare. Before Sakura could open her mouth to thank the girl, she turned to see no one there, behind her.

Shrugging it off, Sakura slipped inside and closed the door behind her. The dress she wore in the car was simple, brown, and plain. She shed it quickly enough and checked inside her suitcase for something more appropriate. There were three dresses, all in pastel, light colors. The first was an eggshell white, the second a powdery blue chiffon, and the last one was gold and tangerine. They were nice, but she didn't like any of them.

Sakura stood back in her lingerie and turned to face the mirror. She knew what she wanted. She wanted something with beads, something with dazzle and sparkle. She wanted to feel like she was a star, but the literal and figurative meaning of the word.

She could see the dress in her mind and wanted it on her body, thin over her flesh but heavy with the beadwork. Hesitant, she reached out for the dress in her mind and closed her eyes, remembering what it felt like to dream dresses onto her body. She felt the weight and opened her eyes to see herself dressed in the mirror. The piece was silver and white with a low strapless sweetheart neckline. Unlike the flappers from cheaper bars, her dress kissed the floor in modest rolls that would trail behind her when she stepped out of her heels.

Her hair was curled high off her neck and pinned back with a silver barrette shaped like a rose. Everything else about her was soft in pale and peach hues of a girl-like innocence.

"I can dream on dresses but I can't summon guns, is that it?" She doubted she'd get a reply, but she didn't need one, either way. It made sense. Hayate wanted her story to move forward with as much stress and conflict as possible. A dress would advance the plot, a sword would make it too easy for her.

Sakura touched her bare neck again and a collar of diamonds grew around her throat. Maybe it was a bit much for opening night, but she thought it better to make an impression than leave the stage as a forgettable act. Whatever the story for this world was, she needed to do her best here in order to advance. She would sing, just like Hayate told her to.

"You forget you are dreaming. Here, you can do anything."

"Sakura?" Kakashi was knocking at the door. "You almost ready?"

She opened the door, but didn't step out right away. What she could see of Kakashi's face told her she was dressing well enough to catch eyes. He met her eyes and the secret sort of smile made his lips quirk. 

"I don't remember you packing this."

"It's new. You wouldn't remember it." Sakura closed the door behind her, hesitating before dropping her hand from the knob. "Is it bad?"

"Not at all. You're coming off strong on your first night, though."

"How else are you supposed to come off in a new city?" she asked with a huff.

Kakashi laughed, touching her elbow and guiding her down the hallway and away from the restaurant front. Down a short set of stairs and around a corner, they crossed over from what was the business's front, to the actual speakeasy section of the club. All of the property was an illegal operation, but dining guests in the front didn't drink, while those in the back did. If ever there was a bust or a raid, the party outside would make enough noise to give the rest of the business time to stash the drinks and run. It was all elaborate enough to appear seamless.

"Do you know what you will be singing?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes," Sakura lied. She had no idea what the band would be playing behind her, but she had enough faith in the narrative to know that she would be able to play her part. She had to.

There was a section of the hallway that led backstage and another that led to the rest of the dining room. It was there that Kakashi gave her elbow a little push away from him and waved as she continued on down her separate hallway while he took a seat in the audience.

Sakura found the stage and saw where she needed to stand in front of the old, square shaped microphone. A quartet of boys lingered behind her, poised on their instruments. One caught her eye and nodded her way. 'We'll follow your lead,' he mouthed before looking away again. The curtain was down, but the audience was already settled enough for her to hear their conversations. It was too early for them to be too drunk or too rowdy.

Before the fabric separating her from them could be pulled away, she cradled the microphone close to her lips and began to hum. Just like the first song, this one came to her from somewhere else. She saw maps and star charts and sad tears dripping into a larger ocean of sorrow, drowning her again. Waves and currents turned her edges white with foam and she drowned in it, caught underneath the surface of a forgotten ocean.

She felt the light on her face and heard the band behind her start up, following the tune she set for them with her humming.

" _Seconds march into the past… the moments pass and just like that-they're gone…The river always finds the sea so helplessly… like you find me. We are paper boats floating on a stream and it would seem, oh, we'll never be apart…_ " She licked her lips, closed her eyes and turned her body into the music. 

_"I will always find you, like it's written in the stars. You can run, but you can't hide. Try… like the moon that makes the tides that silent guide is calling from inside. And pull me here and push me there, it's everywhere hanging in the air."_ She found a pair of eyes in the audience and caught them. Her net was wide and everyone in it was caught, but this one especially was doomed. 

_"We are magnets pulling from different poles with no control. We'll never be apart I will always find you, like it's written in the stars. You can run, but you can't hide. Try I will always, always find you, I will always I will always, always find you."_

There was breath, and there was drowning in her song, and she loved it. Her melody was a baptism that made the world worth being in, even as it killed the deepest parts of her. She felt her memories bloom like poppies behind her eyes and then died, overwatered and drowned just like the rest of her. There were no memories. There were no sorrows. She never wept for dead friends.

She didn't remember singing the last verse, but the thunder of applause was enough to wake her from her stupor and bring her back. She saw a sea of smiling faces, and found Kakashi quickly enough, but there was one face towards the back that didn't move. Sakura recognized it from during the song, the one man she made eye contact with during her hazy state.

Oh.

"Once more?" a man on the piano asked from behind her.

Sakura didn't know what else to say so she nodded and waited for the words to come to her, making a mental note to keep her eyes closed this time and not attract the attention of any more Uchiha men in police uniforms.

* * *

######  _ "Monster" is derived from the Latin noun monstrum, "divine portent," itself formed on the root of the verb monere, "to warn." It came to refer to living things of anomalous shape or structure, or to fabulous creatures like the sphinx who were composed of strikingly incongruous parts, because the ancients considered the appearance of such beings to be a sign of some impending supernatural event. _

######  _Monsters, like angels, functioned as messengers and heralds of the extraordinary. They served to announce impending revelation, saying, in effect,_ _"Pay attention; something of profound importance is happening."_

######  _ — My Words to Victor Frankenstein _

######  _ Susan Stryker _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I a terrible person who forgets things in their draft folder after amazing persons like nightmarenip worked so hard to make it coherent? That might very well be me. Sorry and apologies all around!


	5. Speakeasy Sunset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the thanks goes to nightmarenip who was the beta mastermind behind this!

I imagined a dark world where the stars clamor to be inside us. Whatever we invent becomes the history we have to live. In truth, it takes only a handful of history's shadows to commandeer our dreams. It takes a famine of the heart to empty the streets of our words. It takes an imaginary terror to rid ourselves of imagination.

-Richard Jackson, from "Involuntary Beginnings,"

Resonance: Poems

* * *

**OBELISK:**

**Kingdom of Monsters**

###  Speakeasy Sunsest

* * *

"What were you dreaming of? You were crying in your sleep again."

Sakura didn't open her eyes all the way, she already knew where she was, and what she was waking up to. Kakashi didn't stay in the same room as her when she slept, but when she napped in her dressing room, he sat by the window and read. Apparently her body was weaker in this world than the others. She felt tired and hungry like in the real world for the first time while dreaming. She wondered if she would tire out and get exhausted if she fought, like she used to fight in the other kingdoms. Not being able to summon weapons was already bad enough.

"I wasn't crying. I was just having trouble breathing," Sakura lied, knowing there was a little truth to her words. Hayate made her weaker, and one of those ways was a dry throat and raw windpipe whenever she woke up. She felt dry and short of breath too often.

Bull was half-tucked under her daybed, too big to fit all the way. Sakura reached down, and he licked her hand in greeting, calming her down. It had been two days since Hayate’s words, and she was still so angry about it. A wound she thought had closed up was open again, and she was fighting to sew it shut. It was so stupid, and she felt like a idiot from high school for pining after a dead man. Sai's death had been more traumatic, but it hadn't scared her like this. Was that because she didn't see Sai as someone she wanted to kiss? What the hell did that have to do with anything?

"You're making that face again," Kakashi whispered, kneeling down in front of her with a glass of water. She took it and drank gratefully. "Do you have another headache?" Headaches were the excuse for her feelings whenever the pain showed on her face. 

"It will pass. How long do I have till showtime?"

"A little over one hour, but Obito knows better than to rush you. Should I leave so you can get dressed?"

One hour didn't leave her a lot of time to get ready, but she knew time mattered less than pennies in the dream world. Still, it didn't escape her notice that she was waking up later and later. She was spending more and more of the dream at the club, practicing with the band, talking to Kakashi, playing with Tobi before his bedtime, and getting ready in her tiny dressing room.

Staring into the mirror, she ran her fingers into her hair till it was thick with a vintage brand of styling gel that didn't smell all too great. She styled her hair into waves over her fingers and held it back with clips, waiting for the mouse to dry. She painted her eyes with silver and her lips a dull petunia color. She tested her hair and took the clips out, letting the rest curl up around her jaw.

Her dress was a pearl white, but with a mermaid design that hugged her body close before flaring out at the knees. When Kakashi came in after her verbal admittance, he found her untangling a strand of pearls for her neck. Coming up behind her, he took the two ends and connected them behind her neck, letting the beads roll over her collarbone sensually. He was staring at her with both eyes she could see from the mirror.

"You looked like this when I first saw you perform. A mermaid dress and pearls. I felt like you were drowning me when you sang, and I never wanted to breathe again."

Sakura sucked in breath when she felt the pad of his fingers brush the bones in her neck around her necklace's clasp. He was probably just removing a stray hair, but the touch of something so light and gentle across her sensitive skin made her hurt in a way she wasn't familiar with.

There was a knock at the door and Obito poked in, looking wrinkled. Kakashi straightened, suddenly alert behind Sakura. 

"What is it, Obito?" Kakashi asked, voice firm.

"We got some visitors from Hell's kitchen tonight, and I know they're here for trouble. The band is doing another run through. Sakura, you stay here till we can be sure we're not tossing lead tonight. Kakashi, to me." Kakashi turned to his dogs and nodded, all but Bull rose to follow him out. 

"Keep Sakura safe," Kakashi told the dog.

Before Sakura could ask what they were talking about, they were outside. She balled her fist at the sound of a lock coming into place. 

"Hell's kitchen means Irish, who does he know that's Irish and trouble?" she asked looking at Bull. The dog just snorted, not knowing anything more than her.

Something was going to happen tonight, Sakura didn't know what, but if it was in her dream she could safely bet she needed to be a part of it. She pulled open the bottom drawer of her vanity, and in the back she pulled out a switchblade she 'borrowed' from Obito's collection. Tobi had shown her where all the old knives were kept because the boys on payroll kept losing theirs in bodies, or something like that. She knew it wouldn't be missed, and to be honest, she felt better having it now that she couldn't dream weapons into her hands anymore.

Sakura tucked the knife down into her dress and turned to the door. They had locked it from the outside, but it was old, and Sakura knew she could get out if she wiggled the door enough back and forth till the hammers in the locks slid out of place. She had tried it already as soon as she found out about the lock. It was another experiment Tobi helped her with. It was a good thing that kid liked her so much.

"What are you doing?" Bull asked, standing up and pacing around her as she began to pull the door loose.

"Getting out."

"They have more than just guns out there, Sakura," Bull barked. "If they're another gang that can bully the Uchiha, that means they're monsters like us. Don't get in the middle of it."

"There is something out there only I can do." Monsters meant actors. She had to get out now. 

"And what is that?" Bull barked, sounding genuinely angry.

"I'm going to drown them."

Something was a little too wild in her heart, making her a little too eager to move and act before thinking it through as long as she should have. Sakura knew she was being irrational, even as she heaved against the door, hearing more of the lock fall into place, but she didn't want to sit still and think about things that made her feel like melting. She needed to work or fight or do something worthwhile.

'Advance the narrative,' Hayate echoed in her head, a conversation from long ago.

If she wanted to go any farther in the story or advance in this world, she would have to be out there in the action, taking the risks Kakashi didn't want her taking. She couldn't listen to him, no matter how nice his fingers on the back of her neck felt.

The door gave with a groan, slanting down a bit and swinging away from her, back into the room. Sakura noticed her breathing, and feared her earlier suspicions were true. She wouldn't be as strong in this world thanks to Hayate, and that meant getting tired.

Bull barked at her heels, chasing after her as she stepped out, trying to stop her, but she pinched him behind the ear and then rubbed him there, nearly making him melt on the spot from how much he loved that particular rub. He whined when she pulled away and ran out in front of her again.

"I'll be careful, but there's no way I'm staying locked in a room. Bull, I'm not going to stop for you. Let me pass and come with me, or I'll just leave you behind." Bull growled again, but lowered his head with his ears back. 

"No, you need me to at least go ahead and smell to see if there's gun smoke or accelerant. If there's such obvious danger, I won't let you pass me." She guessed he got his stubbornness from Kakashi. 

"Fine, that's good enough, but no more locked rooms. I need to be out there where the people are. I'm a part of this too, more than you know."

Bull nodded, turning around and heading down the hallway. He paused once or twice, more so to make sure Sakura would do as he said if he smelled something arrai, but eventually the pair ended up backstage, where most of the bad was left half hidden. Only the drummer was still playing, and it was a soft, echoed sort of sound that reminded her of a steady heartbeat. It made her want to act calm and she recognized what the drummer, who was likely not a monster, was trying to do.

"You're doing great," Sakura whispered to him, keeping her fingers crossed that he wouldn't miss a beat. He didn't.

"Thanks, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to be out here right now. They got Mr. Obito, and officer Kagami sitting down with the two devils from Hell's Kitchen," the drummer whispered back, not bothering to turn around.

"Are the Uchiha on bad terms with Hell's Kitchen gangs?" Sakura asked, staying behind the curtain.

"Uchiha are on everybody's shit list, but Mr. Obito is usually left out of it, because he's more of a neural businessman type. He don't got many enemies, we only ever worried about the police around here."

"What do you think is going to happen? They're sitting down and talking, so it doesn't look like a raid. If those guys wanted to attack, then they gave up the element of surprise. I don't think they want to burn the place to the ground either."

The drummer just shook his head. He looked a little tuned out, and Sakura wondered if him not being an actor had anything to do with it. He was wholly and completely a product of the dream world. He had a face, but it wasn't clear or detailed like Kakashi's was.

Sakura couldn't see very well from the stage so far away. Whoever Obito was talking to, there were two of them, both with longer auburn shaded hair. It was dark in their corner, so it could have been lighter for all Sakura knew. There were a couple more men with hair the same color standing further back, looking like they were made of pure muscle. A third girl sat off to the side with the same ginger hair, and Sakura didn't doubt there were others she couldn't see.

"Has something like this ever happened before to Obito? How did he handle it?"

"No… but, last fall there was an incident with some attempted vandalism. So Obito called his relatives, the ones on the east side, and nothing ever happened again."

Sakura could believe that. Obito didn't seem like the type to get his hands dirty in the unmistakable filth of the world, like blood and murder. He could run a racketeering ring and smuggle booze for the common man, but the kind of crime that needed lead and handguns wasn't his style. Not with a wife and kid in the picture now.

Sakura took a breath and tasted salt on the back of her teeth. She wanted to close her eyes, but she forced her lids up part way. She wouldn't drift now.

She found the microphone she normally used and made sure it was plugged in before going back to her place, out of the hiding spot behind a curtain. She had her back up against the drummer's with the curtain as their divider. Next to his leg, she saw the variety of sticks he used during his routine. One looked like a fan, and she recognized the sound it would make.

"Do you think you could keep up this beat but add the Jazz Rake at the end of the set for a soft crest over the cymbals? Slow down the temp a bit too… yeah, that's perfect. Thanks."

"Old Friends doesn't have a melody." The drummer must have recognized her set up.

"I don't need one. Humming will be enough to soothe without distracting. Bull, make sure no one turns up the lights, I want to put people to sleep like this."

Without another word, Sakura closed her eyes and ran her tongue across the back of her teeth, tasting salt and sea water in-between her canines. It was in her eyes too, leaking out. She kept her lips together and let the vibrations loose. She hummed into her microphone in time with the drummer and together they performed a piece called Old Friends without words. All she did was hum, but it was enough to make a person want to sink.

She felt tired and thirsty when she pulled away from the microphone, but it had been enough, she could tell. Even without turning around she could feel the stillness that came from the opposite of tension. Whatever had been brewing was settled now. She turned around a bit to peer around the edge of the curtain and she saw Kakashi looking at her, or at where he thought she was. When she leaned out to see, he had spotted her and she saw the exact moment because his posture stiffened before relaxing again.

More of the band was back now, and they were starting to file out on stage. Traditionally they did a set before she came out with them, so Sakura pulled back further to catch a break before her performance. Kakashi came back a minute later with a glass of water swiped from a patron's table. They wouldn't miss it, they had booze. Sakura took the water with thanks before anything else. If he was angry with her, Kakashi didn't show it.

"You're not mad?" she asked over the rim of her glass, eyes still partly hooded.

"I shouldn't be. You're more amazing than I give you credit for, and it was silly to think I could lock you away. I'm just glad you're safe." He tried to smile, and it came out looking tired. She drank more before asking, letting the water wash her throat and replenish her spirit. 

"What happened out there. Who were those men?"

"No one you need to concern yourself with. They're from the Irish district and run one of the more popular bootlegger operations. They supply most of the speakeasies around here with their liquor."

"Do they supply Obito?" Kakashi nodded.

"They're not our main suppliers, but the Uchiha aren't as profitable when they try to smuggle in cargo themselves, so Obito does business with the gingers for some of the nicer stuff. It's actually cheaper to outsource the work, but not safer. Someone tipped off the coppers to one of their offshore operations, so they're going around sniffing out their customers to see if they can flush out a rat."

"Do you know who tipped off the cops?"

"No, and Kagami hadn't a clue one way or the other, but he said he would look into it. That means he'll have to talk to Shisui Uchiha, who is actually assigned to cases like these all the time. It's how the Uchiha know when to split before a bust or to pin the blame on someone else."

"I don't know, it sounds suspicious, even to me." Sakura frowned, finding the bottom of her glass. She handed the empty container back to Kakashi and he took it wordlessly. "Do I have to go out and sing now, or does Obito want me to wait till they leave?"

"They're not leaving. Obito's treating them to a nice dinner in apology for the misunderstanding. If you're not feeling up to it, I think he would understand."

Sakura thought of the knife hidden in her dress and the pain from her fingers whenever she tried to dream up brass knuckles. Even the lungs in her dream body were smaller and more frail than they had been in the previous worlds. There wasn't a lot she could do anymore, and it frustrated her to think about, but there was no use dwelling on the qualities she lacked. She needed to think less about what she couldn't do, and more about what she could do. Sakura stood on her own, patting out the imaginary wrinkles of her perfect dress. 

"I can do this much at least," she said before turning towards the curtain that only partially hid the backstage.

The lights went down, and that was her cue to move up to the microphone. She licked her lips, thinking thoughts that turned her insides to foam. She was sea and she was salt and she was a storm worth drowning in. The lights didn't come back on, but the music started, pulling her along with a hum before she began to sing.

_ "I hear you buzzing, a fly on the wall. In through the window and up through the hall. Flying in circles just trying to land, I see you hurting, I do what I can." _ The lights began to turn back on just in time for her cold eyes to close on the rest of the room. " _ But I won't save you, I won't save you. _ "

She couldn't help but sound mournful to her own ears, but even is she wasn't here herself, she wondered if someone would find her song haunting. Sakura wet her lips once more, still stuck in her own little world of sea mist and salt.

" _ Maybe you're looking for someone to blame, Fighting for air while you circle the drain… _ "

Through hooded eyes she could see the ginger siblings way out in the back. Obito had ordered them a nice Italian dinner and it looked like they had already tasted the meal, but none of the gingers were eating anymore. 'Oh, I should have known.' Sakura's thoughts echoed in her mind as the instruments carried on without her words for a little while. When she opened her mouth to sing she shut her eyes, knowing that Pein's would still be on her. She held her microphone stand for support. 

" _ I won't save you… oh I… won't save you… _ "

The back of the room shook as stones from outside crashed through the windows, scaring a few patrons up out of their seats and sending them stampeding to the front of the room, when one of the stones popped with fireworks, the kind sold around Chinese New Year.

Pein and his men were up, rushing out with their guns right behind Obito's men. The car was already driving away, Sakura could hear it's unmuffled engine begin to fade, but Pein was still watching her. He wasn't with the rest of his gang, reacting to the scare attack. He stood beside his overturned table staring straight at her, solid as they come.

Kakashi was in front of Sakura, and before she could think anything more of Pein, he was scooping her up and carrying her back into the hallway and into Obito's room. He set her on the couch and closed the door behind him, locking it before turning back to her.

Sakura had felt it when he picked her up, but his hands were longer, harder, with soft tufts of hair growing off the backs. His hands shook a bit, and he shed the nails and wolf fur with a shake.

"Watch it," Bull intoned from beside his leader. Kakashi eyed his friend from the side with his good eye before nodding. 

"I am."

"Who were they?" Sakura asked, reaching out to take one of his still-shaking hands. He flinched at the contact, but she just started to hum, tracing circles with her thumbs across his knuckles. He shivered, but forced his hand over so he could squeeze her fingers in reassurance before pulling away.

"My guess… the ones who actually did tip off the Irish smugglers. Fireworks like that, makes me think it's the Chinese and that could be any one of the triads. The Uchiha don't do well with the Chinese, them being Japanese and all."

"That still makes no sense to me, but whatever."

Sakura huffed in annoyance, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms. They came away smudged with silver from her eyeshadow and she didn't even care. Her night was practically over, she could feel it. She had maybe a little bit more time to kill, but for the most part, it seemed as if the most important element of the dream had already transpired. Meeting Pein had been the thing Hayate wanted her to do in this cycle. It hadn’t mattered that she never got to talk to him, and that she likely wouldn't get to if Kakashi picked her up to spirit away every chance he got.

She glanced back at his hands. They seemed fine now, and the shivering was done. 

"Do you feel better?" Kakashi looked down at her with a confused sort of expression. 

"Me?" When she nodded, he chuckled. "Ah, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. I'm in control." Sakura waited a moment more to give pause to her thoughts before speaking them aloud. 

"That man's name was Pein, wasn't it?"

"Yes, but how did you know that?"

"I've had dreams about him before." Sakura felt sleepy again and could taste the end of the dream. "I think he's important. We'll see more of him again, but I don't think I should, because he won't love me in this lifetime."

Whatever Kakashi's expression was, it was lost on Sakura. It had been a short dream, but it was already over.

Karin was angry at Suigetsu for something, so they were trying to cool down by spending some time apart. Sakura and Ami shared looks between them when Karin came over at seven in the evening ranting and raving about how her feelings weren't being considered and how he didn't pay attention to anything about her interests and preferences.

After Karin looked a bit worn out, Sakura tentatively ventured a guess as to the root of all her frustrations. 

"Is this about him buying you strawberry ice cream?"

"I'm allergic to strawberries! How is that so minor a thing? I could have DIED!"

"It's all artificial, so I doubt that, but maybe it just slipped a spot in his memories. He remembered to connect you and strawberries together at least, just not… in the way you needed him to. I think Tony Stark did this with Pepper in the second movie."

"Was it the second or the third, it was the one with all the suits," Ami added in, thinking it over herself. Sakura snapped her fingers at the clarification. 

"No, you're right, it was the third movie. Oh, and that was when their relationship was already well established, wasn't it?"

"That's not the point here, I'm pretty sure he totally forgot and really… what excuse is there for that?" Ami and Sakura shared another look between them. 

"None," they answered together.

Karin's eyes began to tear up and she flopped face first onto Sakura's bed. Sakura took this as her cue to approach the redhead and start rubbing circles into her back while Ami held Karin's hand and patted it with a soft 'there, there now.' After a while Karin sighed into the sheets and rolled over, eyes still a bit red. She was far away, tangled up in her thoughts. Sakura fished around for her phone in-between the bed sheets. 

"I got a text from Yamato earlier if you're interested in going out. He's working in Root tonight, but upstairs at the Orchard there's a live Jazz band."

"Why would he text you about that?" Ami asked, wrinkling her nose. She didn't hate Jazz, but it wasn't her thing.

"He knows I like Jazz." Sakura shrugged off the look Ami was sending her way. "Either way, it's an excuse to get out. What are you in the mood for?" Karin pushed her glasses up off her face and rubbed her eyes. A little of her liner smeared, but if they were going out she would have had to redo it anyway. 

"I want to go to Root and get really drunk." 

Ami cheered happily, raising her hands high above her head before dashing out of the room to go get changed. Sakura rolled her eyes, but climbed backwards off the bed to find something in her closet she could make work. She didn't like Root as much, and would probably stay mostly upstairs, but if Karin was feeling emotional, it was a good idea Sakura spent as much time watching her friend. Karin could do some wild things when she was in the middle of a fight with someone. Sakura had only seen what this looked like between Karin and her parents and maybe Karin and someone from school, but never between Karin and a boyfriend. The last boy Karin dated was someone that encouraged his girlfriend to stay away from people like Sakura, who suggested he might be verbally abusive. Sakura hadn't seen much of Karin then.

"Here, you can borrow this since it's actually yours from the last time you went to Root," Sakura said, pulling down a sparkly red and black dress that didn't seem long enough to actually even be a dress. Sakura had a pair of white shorts she could pair with a gold sequin top. A few of the sequins were missing towards the bottom, but if she tucked the shirt into her shorts no one would notice, and hey, if her hair looked good enough, no one would ever care what sort of top she was wearing. Pink hair had that sort of distracting effect on people.

Changing didn't take long, but both girls took their time painting their faces and doing each other's eye liner. Ami was fussing about everyone else's choices in colors, but at the end of it,that night was a night neither girl felt like being told what to wear or how to do their hair.

Ami had her hair rolled up into a massive victory curl atop her head that was split into two parts, one atop the crown of her head and the other down the curve of her skull in back of her head. Her make up was dark and angry, the way she liked it.

Sakura's hair was light and curled away from her face, done with enough care that she almost even liked what she looked like when she saw her short hair in the mirror. She was considerably softer than the other girls with her palette choices. Dusty white and gold sat atop her eyes, but her lips were a pale rose pink she decided to over gloss. Even though it wasn't what Ami wanted, the younger girl had to admit that Sakura came out looking good.

As usual, Sakura drove, but she took Ami's car, because hers was a gas monster that reminded Karin of old people. Karin hated Sakura's car, and in comparison to the electric blue mustang, Sakura didn't feel like defending the station wagon. The paint was starting to peel in places and the edges were trimmed in rust. It reflected her financial situation well enough without having to examine the interior of faded threadbare seats and sides.

The drive was smooth and short. When they arrived, Sakura parked out back and took the back way in, like she was heading into work. She recognized one or two of the people working at the front, and waved to Yamato before heading downstairs to be cleared by a bouncer.

Genma had told her once that the bunker their boss had renovated for the louder nightclub used to be used by the mob during the 20's for smuggling in booze, and that was why it was well insulated and easy to miss. Sakura wondered if Genma's story was true, and if it had anything to do with the current setting of her dream world.

Any thought of speakeasies with ripping jazz melodies was blown away with the thundering wave of techno blasts that seemed to be trying to dismantle the foundations around them. Sakura thought she heard robots singing in between the attacking waves of sound, but she couldn't be sure. It could just be another night of Daft Punk remixes.

It was a Friday night, the second biggest party night of the week, and even though it was only a little after nine, the club was in full swing. Sakura checked the time on her phone, following the girls down the stairs. It was actually after 9:30, making more sense. How had it become so late? She had to go to sleep in a few hours. What would this do to her dreams if she stayed out late?

"Sakura!" Ami was shouting over the music, tugging on the older girl's wrist and pointing to a table towards the back.

Most of the patrons were either on the dance floor already or up against a wall somewhere. There were plenty of people at tables, but not enough to make it hard to find an empty one. Karin was already heading towards the glass floor where a dozen different colored lights pulsed across the mass of bodies. Ami was looking for Zaku, but if she couldn't find him she would be out there with Karin in a second.

"I got it," Sakura replied, patting Ami's shoulder. She would get the table while the girls took the floor. In a few minutes the pair would come back to her and she would have their drinks already ready for them. This wasn't their first time out together. It was already established that Sakura was the caretaker figure in their group.

Ami smiled grateful and ran off, ready to exhaust herself. It wouldn't take long.

Sakura sat herself down at the table and placed the shared purse atop the table. She kept her own phone and ID in her shorts, but she pulled them both out and dumped them in the purse to keep a better eye on them. She's had things pulled from her back pockets before. She turned her phone on and flipped through a few social media sites, trying to look occupied. There were plenty of males without dates searching like vultures.

"Alone tonight?" She wanted to glare the person away, but when she looked up, she recognized the face better than the voice. In all the music it was hard to hear much.

"You here to take my order?" she asked Genma.

"I think I can guess, two drinks for your friends, the usual?" When she nodded, he laughed, tapping his forehead. "I'm psychic."

"You're annoying, now hurry off to make my drinks," Sakura laughed, pulling up her phone again, not exactly ready to get into a conversation with this particular person after their last encounter. He had a way of leaving her metaphorically wounded and exposed. She hated what he did to her last time, but she refused to admit that to him.

"But I need to figure out what you want. Everyone here wants something, even you."

"What I want you can't give." An end to the curse. A good night's sleep for once. A healed heart. Erased memories.

"You need to let loose for once. You're always the responsible one, always the mother. Have you ever just… let yourself go for one night? Ever think that might be something you need?"

"If you're encouraging me to start lining up one night stands, you have another thing coming, sweetie," Sakura cooed, lowering her lashes in a way that should have been cute, but came out looking dangerous. Genma flinched, letting Sakura know her intentions were achieved. She didn't want to look cute, she wanted to look like the thing you came before on bended knee with fear and trembling. She wanted to look like she felt when she cut Orochimaru's hand from his wrist, or when she demolished the exterior of the three tailed beast with her fist. She was dangerous in ways people would never know, and in some little way she wanted her danger to be made known.

"No… I guess that just works for other people." He had to swallow before saying anything more, as his voice sounded rougher towards the end of his last sentence. He was probably dehydrated again. When all he drank was alcohol his voice started to run dry. "Do you want me to see if Yamato can come work a shift down here after I get you your drinks?"

"I thought I told you I wasn't a part of the faceless fucking club?" Sakura popped the end of her sentence and started to glare at Genma again.

"You don't know Yamato well enough to think that of him. He's at least better conversation than your phone. I know you're not trying to, but you look like you're fishing for dicks out here by yourself." Sakura shut her eyes and inhaled, knowing he had a point but not wanting to admit it to herself or anyone else. 

"Once the girls come back, I'm going upstairs to listen to jazz, drink tea, and eat cookies."

"You haven't danced down here yet."

"And I'm not going to."

Genma grabbed the purse she was supposed to be watching and then her phone, tossing it inside the bag. Sakura protested but he cut her off with the back of his hand before pointing out towards the floor. Ami stood at the edge of the dance floor with her fists on her hips before relaxing one to make a 'come here' motion towards Sakura. The pink haired girl glared at Genma who just shrugged.

"I'll put your things behind the bar. Let me know when you want it, I'll have your drinks ready for you when you get off."

The music sounded angry and destructive to Sakura as she approached Ami at the edge of the dance floor. Ami grabbed onto Sakura as soon as the older girl was in reach, jerking her towards the nexus of the dance floor. Sakura felt hips and elbows all around her, but next to Ami, there was a spot reserved for her to move however she chose. No one was paying her any mind now that Ami had turned away, and it wasn't like Sakura would be back out on the dance floor any time soon, so it was as good a time as any to experiment.

Closing her eyes, Sakura threw her head back, arching her neck and angling her shoulders so that when they shifted the rest of her body followed. Her hips swiveled, and soon they found the pattern of a figure eight, making the curve of her back grow more defined with every rotation of her hips. Naturally, her hands rose up above her head. She felt the beat in her bones, echoing inside of her body. The music felt angry and destructive because she was angry and destructive.

At first, she was all angles, but then as her dance progressed, she was a rhythm that grew. She was moving into it, letting it wash over her with all its high energy. It was fun not to care, to dance with both eyes closed. There were others around her, but she was as invisible to them as they were to her. She rolled her head back once more and the rest of her body followed in loose, licentious movements.

Somewhere off to the side, Karin stepped out of her designated spot to cross the dance floor and find Sakura. Karin found Ami first, and together the two girls picked up Sakura from her place and led her to the bar where their drinks were waiting.

Sakura had to fold her hands over her eyes to keep from looking back at the dance floor and getting dizzy. She almost forgot what these places could do to her. Dancing was fun and she enjoyed it, but Sakura knew her limits and too much noise and too many bodies wasn't something that played well with her brain. She smelled too many things in the underground room and the air felt stale to her.

"Feeling better?" Genma asked, pushing a clear glass of water with lemon her way. Sakura glared at the male but accepted the drink. Genma turned to walk back down the bar towards someone else, but he stopped at the last second, snapping his fingers and turning on his heel. "I almost forgot. There was someone here last night looking for you."

"Me? Why? What did I do?" The comment made her stand straighter, more weary.

"I don't know. Just asked if I knew any girls with pink hair, then she said your name. I can't remember who she was, but I said I've seen you around here before." Sakura felt a drop in her stomach and she could already guess what she would hear next. 

"Was she really pretty with platinum blond hair and eyes as blue as diamonds? Like, model pretty, probably dressed in something fancy…"

"Sounds like the same girl." Genma motion towards his head. "She wore her hair up in a high ponytail, like the kind Ariana Grande made popular, but she had a bit of bangs, just a bit."

Sakura closed her eyes and laid her head down in her hands. She had thought she might be lucky and dodge the bullet with Ino, but it looked like this was one bullet she would have to bite.

She was waking up later and later in the dream world, spending more time behind a microphone and surrounded by stage lights while more and more regulars started to amass in the back of the club. Most were men and women she didn't recognize beyond the blur of their face, but there was always one or two actors watching in the back, stalking but never striking. For too many nights, Sakura would come out to sing, feel their eyes on her, and then retreat back to her room with Kakashi before waking up.

Maybe it was because she was spending less and less time asleep thanks to a new client and her friend's late night adventures, but she existed less and less in the dream and she wondered if that was hurting her narrative. Hayate hadn't shown up to deliver her some cryptic warning, but she didn't doubt it was on its way. She had been in this world long enough to know that things needed to start happening beyond a few shipment scares.

Sakura was getting ready for her second set, looking herself over in the mirror before going back out onstage, when she caught Kakashi moving up behind her. He stopped once he saw her gaze through the mirror.

"How do you feel about requests?" Her curls were flying away and she was trying to comb them down with her fingers.

"Depends… is it something the band and I have practiced?"

"No, but we both know you're skilled enough to be able to sing on the fly. You don't need practice."

Sakura hummed, closing her eyes and nodding. It wasn't unusual to get requests from the patrons of her host. Men who were friends with Obito thought it was within their rights to request special songs for special evenings and so on. Sakura nearly always complied, but it made her feel dry to sing what someone else wanted. 

"What is it they want?"

"Paralyzed."

"Oh."

The song he was talking about was a swing-esk version of the song Paralyzed by the Mystery Skulls. It was an odd song for a request at a speakeasy. A lot of things were like that in the dream world. The song was one she heard the other night at the club, but when she sang it at Obito's, it came out sounding like something straight from the 1920's or 30's, reminding her of the band The Postmodern Jukebox.

When Sakura noticed that Kakashi was still standing behind her she turned around to face him fully. They were both frowning when their eyes met. 

"What?" she asked.

"The person who requested it…he's one of the skin-walkers, Pein."

Kakashi never told her who requested her songs. Why did he feel the need to tell her about Pein? What did Kakashi know about this other actor that Sakura didn't? Sakura knew well enough that Pein was important all on his own, but the details as to why he was important in this world and this time period were fuzzy. All she knew about him was that he was a part of a larger Irish family of bootleggers who had contacts across the Atlantic. His group of Hellions actually weren't all that Irish, since they were as Ginger as ginger get. No, they were skinwalkers from further north, where the vikings once touched down. Some of his brothers were built like it too.

Sakura heard more about the skinwalker culture from Kakashi and how it was different from being a werewolf, (hint, one involved madness the other had its own will). Apparently all the ginger Hellions had animal forms they could shift into, and that was their big claim to monster fame. In addition to this nifty trick, Pein was favored by a baltic witch and had been blessed with storm eyes, eyes that could control the weather. That was why they were such great sneaks. Bad weather drove off searches, and thick fog blanketed their escapes all too often.

When Kakashi didn't say anything, Sakura laid her hands on her hips and gave him a pointed look.

"You're thinking this is a bad idea?" Kakashi shrugged, pretending he didn't care. 

"He's just… a bit too comfortable around here. I don't think you're in any danger around him, but be careful about what he wants. He's used to getting his way."

"Do you think I should sing the song?"

She valued his opinion, and if he thought she shouldn't do something, she would follow his advice. At first, she thought Kakashi would be the clingy type that controlled too many of her actions, but after the night Pein and his gang first showed up and Sakura broke out of the locked room, Kakashi had given her room. He had grown more casual with her too, joking with her and teasing her on occasions. It reminded her a bit of her relationship with Zabuza and Kisame, how easy their friendship had been. Kisame could have been her brother, they were that close.

"No, I think you should. It's fine, and it can only help Obito, since the Uchiha still aren't anyone's favorite people. This won't change anything, but it might help." He offered her another smile, this one a bit lopsided. "I think you'll be fine."

He turned to head back out into the audience, and when Sakura peeked out from behind the curtain to find him, she spotted him at Obito's table. Kagami was absent tonight; that happened sometimes. The younger Uchiha didn't have a wife or mother to go back home to, Obito told her, so it was common for the cop to spend his nights with whoever he can. Work must have been keeping him busy.

Pein was in the audience, and even though she was peeking out from behind a curtain in the shadows, he was there in the back with his eyes locked on her. He was alone tonight. His table was big enough for another three people at least, but it was nearly empty aside from a dish of ravioli and a glass of red wine. It was unusual to see him by himself.

The lights turned down and Sakura stepped out, her dress shorter than the ones before, and bleeding red beads that swayed with every step. Her lips were just as red when they parted, and the high energy of her band backed her up. She took the microphone, looked to Pein in the back, and then shut her eyes. The world was wide and drowning her again.

" _ You've got me hypnotized… I'm feeling so obsessed with you. You left me paralyzed… And now I'm stuck… You got me stuck… Oh. _ "

She snapped her neck wildly to the side, caught up in the sound. She opened her eyes once and looked out at the black shadows that made up her audience. With the lights so bright on her, it was nearly impossible to see anyone else, but she could feel them. Some stares were so strong she could feel them separate from all others.

" _ And the truth is you've got me hypnotized… _ "

She was rushing through waves, and the ocean took its fill of her, leaving her on the last note to look up and see a happy crowd. She had done her job, she was done for the evening and it felt like another night of nothing. She was waiting for something to happen, for something to occur, but her set had been little to no different from the set yesterday, or the day before. When was something going to blow up?

'And that's always someone else's job?'

The thought made her stop. She was in the hallway heading back towards her room, but now she felt like she didn't need to visit her dressing room. Kakashi would be back there in a few minutes, but she had heard enough of his history lessons for a week. In the waking world, she had a late start morning, meaning no alarm and plenty of time to sleep in. She had plenty of time left to dream.

Sakura turned on her heel, heading back out towards the floor. She stayed close to the wall, but she still caught Kakashi's eye. He gave her a look that asked without words, 'what are you doing?' Sakura gave him a reassuring smile that explained nothing but asked him to trust her, or at the very least let her be. She was her own agent, acting out however she saw fit. Still, he sent Bull out to trail her from a distance as she edged along the back of the restaurant.

He didn't see her till she was right in front of him, pushing back a chair just enough to make room for her to sit in. If he was surprised, like she suspected, he didn't let it show on his face. He was better than that, more schooled and in control. Wordlessly, Sakura leaned back into her seat and reached for the napkin left at the opposing place setting. She pinched a corner and let the rest of it unfold before draping it across her lap. A waiter was passing by when he noticed her new arrival. Making a beeline for her, he was beside her with a fancy hand printed menu.

"Just the salad," Sakura said, not bothering to take the menu. She looked up at the waiter and smiled. "Please."

Once the waiter walked away, Sakura turned her eyes back to the male sitting across from her. Pein regarded her with a look before reaching for his wine glass, sipping its contents. 

"You order food here often?" he asked, his lips hovering over the rim of his glass.

"That was my first time, actually." Pein hummed in response before speaking.

"Why don't I believe you?"

"Normally I have dinner brought to my room before I fall asleep. I thought I would try being one of you people, out here on the other side of the stage." She let her eyes drift, glancing from table to table, seeing how the couples in the booths behaved differently from the blokes at the tables. "I don't notice much, or I try not to, but I couldn't help myself tonight. I think I was bored."

"What did you notice?"

"You're alone. Why is that?"

"It's a busy night."

"But not for you?" Pein took another sip of his wine. There was little of it left by now.

"I can afford myself a single night before the season works up again. There is always work that could be done. One needs to learn to take time for themselves, that's nothing extraordinary." He set the wine glass down on the edge of the table but didn't let go of its stem, indicating that he might take another sip soon. "I think a better question is, why are you here?"

The waiter came back with Sakura's salad and she waited till he had walked away before answering the storm eyed man. 

"You're interesting. You shouldn't be here, according to everything I've heard about your family and the Uchiha, and yet here you are again, requesting songs from me like someone important. I've been curious before, but tonight I was brave for the first time."

"You want to know why I'm here?"

Sakura folded a leaf of some vegetable under her fork and lifted it to her mouth. She hadn't been very hungry, but this dream body could only go so long before it started to complain for something to eat. She swallowed her food and lifted the glass to her lips before responding. 

"Don't you think it's peculiar… you being here?"

"Would you be flattered if I said I enjoyed your singing that much?"

"Of course, but I don't think that's all there is to it." Sakura smiled over another forkful of salad. "I try my best, but I know I'm not that good." Pein chuckled before sipping away the rest of his wine.

"You're far too modest, but that doesn't mean you're not also clever. If it were anyone else coming to me and asking such boldface questions I don't think I would have answered them." Sakura waited for him to continue, nibbling on her greens. Pein seemed to waver in his resolve, but then finally pushed his empty wine glass away and sat back in his seat more fully. "I don't trust the Uchiha families. I don't think they are as blameless as they claim to be." Sakura blinked in surprise. 

"You think the Uchiha attacked your supply line? But they buy from you, wouldn't that mean hurting their own business?"

"Yes, but the Uchiha are ambitious and have made it no secret how they seek to gain a monopoly on the probation businesses, whatever they may be. You've not been with Obito long, have you? He's on the fringe of things, likely the least involved out of all of them since the birth of his son." When Sakura stiffened, Pein chuckled. "I heard you were fond of the boy from Obito himself. I was surprised Obito even mentioned his son at all. He tries so hard to erase the vulnerable parts of his family from sight."

"If you believed Obito was responsible for the attack on your supply line, would you retaliate against his family?"

Pein eyed the salad she wasn't eating anymore and frowned. His words were as hard as his eyes when he spoke, as if her words were cruel enough to warrant a stern rebuke. Maybe they were, but Sakura had to make sure. 

"That's not the sort of man I am."

"What kind of man are you?" She had absently pushed what was left of her salad away, done with the eating part of dinner. "When I leave this table and go back to my life, and someone mentions you in a way that triggers my memories of you, how should I think of you? All I know is that you listen to my music and think I'm far too modest and also clever- which I might add, has yet to be certified."

"How would you have me answer that?" Sakura hummed, tracing the edge of her plate with her forefinger, showing no sign of wanting to pull it back and start eating again. 

"I'm a singer by trade, and I think I'm good at it. I don't have a lot of friends, but I'm good at making them. I don't like alcohol, and I don't even like food all that much. I have no family here. Once upon a time I did, but now I don't, and I try not to think about it. I care about getting back home and doing right by the ghosts who haunt me, but I'm cursed for as long as I have the need for sleep." She seemed to perk up before pushing her plate aside and drawing an obelisk into the table cloth with wrinkles. "Speaking of which, have you seen a black tower, shaped like an Obelisk anywhere? It's almost never in a practical location, but sometimes it is."

Pein watched her fingers trace invisible lines across their tabletop, studying her hands even after they've stopped. 

"I'm sorry, I can't say I have, or that I've even heard of such a thing." He looked up to meet her eyes. "It's an unusual curse. What are the consequences?"

Sakura couldn't help me smile to herself. It was ironic to be discussing the details of her curse to the product of her curse. She had mentioned being cursed to others in the past, but nothing ever seemed to come of it. It didn't even matter if they believed her or not. 

"I can no longer dream. Instead, when I sleep, the curse creates for me a world that I must survive while trying to find a way out, or onto the next level. I'm not positive, but it all plays out like a game. Every level I beat brings me closer to breaking my curse, but it also brings me closer to greater dangers." Sakura grinned. "Sound silly yet?"

"I've heard of stranger fates," Pein murmured regarding her carefully. "Have you not sought out a curse witch for help dismantling the thing? Your manager should know someone."

It felt oddly comforting to hear those words from Pein. She didn't make a grand effort to hide what was happening to her with the curse from anyone, and had even mentioned her dreams in passing to a few of her friends at one point or another. She even wrote down her adventures in the Kingdom of Man and shared them with Karin, but she had never confessed her troubles so truthfully to someone for fear of being thought of insane.

Pein couldn't help her. Sakura knew there was nothing he or any of his friends could do that would save her from the curse, same as there was no way for anyone from the Kingdom of Beasts could do anything to save her. Sai wasn't even an actor, but there was nothing he could do with all his knowledge to save her. The curse wasn't something she could cheat or opt out of. The only way to freedom was through the gates and the kingdoms and all their horrors.

Talking to Pein about her curse felt nice, the same way talking to a friend about a bad teacher or a hard class or a difficult coworker felt nice. Maybe there was nothing he could do to help, but talking still felt nice. She should have done this with someone sooner.

"I haven't told Kakashi about my curse, but something tells me that wouldn't work. I'm not terribly concerned with escaping my curse these days. I'd rather break it myself."

"You haven't told your manager?" Sakura shook her head in response, and Pein narrowed his eyes. "Have you told anyone else?" When she shook her head again he shared with her a look that was simply incredulous. It was enough to make Sakura laugh.

"No one's ever asked before."

"I've known people who've died from curses," Pein said, and she believed him.

The thought of death didn't scare her anymore, it humbled her and made her weak, but it didn't scare her enough to wipe the smile from her face. There was no desire for death in her, but she had no love for fear. 

"Well, now you know what I want, but I still don't know what you want."

Pein didn't look like he was ready to drop the conversation of her curse, but saw that she wasn't going to be contributing anything more about it until he said something about himself. He leaned back in his seat as the waiter came back over to fill his glass again. Pein waited till the boy had gone before reaching forward to take his glass and inhale the aroma.

"Did you know wine is one of the easiest substances to move right now? This brand was supposed to go to St. Peter's Church down on Mill avenue for communion. The law doesn't apply to those who use alcohol for religious purposes, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to crack open shipments to the church to check for wine they're legally allowed to have. No one bothers to check and see if all that blood of Christ is actually used for Sunday Mass. I think that's one of the reasons Obito buys so much of it. Low risk, low cost, and it goes excellent with most of his dishes."

"So you want easy booze?" Sakura asked, raising a single brow in disbelief. He was building up to something more, but whatever that was Sakura wasn't sure.

"…My whole family is in the business with me, and while most of us are connected by little familial blood, we are brothers and sisters never the less. They are what I want." Pein drank from his wine, and when he pulled away there was little more than a sip left swirling in the base of his glass. His eyes were dangerously focused though, he was far from buzzed. His eyes went back to her. "I wouldn't cross the Uchiha lightly because I know what it feels like to have family endangered, but if they do pose a threat to my family, storms will come to Uchiha Madara's home. Believe me."

Sakura felt the sharp intake of breath before she even knew she was doing it. His words were like a physical force against her body, downing her in ice. Pein was a man of his word. He would bring hell if he thought he needed to. Pein saw something behind Sakura that caused an almost invisible tick in his facial features. If he was a poker player, Sakura would call it his 'tell.' Pein tipped his glass back and finished off what remained of his wine before setting the glass back down and pushing it away. He reached inside the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a thin clip of cards. He splayed them out in his hand before picking one and replacing the rest inside his jacket. Flipping the card over, he placed it down in front of Sakura before standing. Keeping his finger on it, he pushed it towards her.

"She's good. You should see her about that curse of yours." He lifted his hand and started to turn away but paused, glancing towards the table where Kakashi and Obito sat. "And don't worry about whatever will happen between the Uchiha and our Irish. Whatever will happen, it won't involve you, but stay close to that manager of yours. He'll keep you safe at least."

"You're leaving." Sakura turned in her seat but didn't stand up. She could feel Bull from underneath the table shift, but like her he remained in a sitting position.

Hearing her voice, Pein turned back to look at her instead of Kakashi and almost smiled. There were too few emotions visible on his face, but Sakura could have sworn she saw the corners of his lips twitch. 

"Yes. I need to leave now before I decide to do something impulsive. Right now I very much want to kiss you, and that would be impolite right after our first conversation."

"O-oh." Sakura felt heat on her face and knew she was blushing. He was so straightforward when he said it, and the way he looked at her too, it all made her feel complicated inside. She couldn't help but compare him to the Pein from her first kingdom, the Kingdom of Man. If the boy Pein there had grown up, he would have been the adult Pein standing in front of her now, calmly stating things like 'I want to kiss you,' and not missing a beat.

Seeing her reaction, Pein really did smile this time, and there was no way of mistaking it or missing the way his lips curled. It was seductive and elusive all at once. 

"Until next time…" The rich timber of his voice echoed in her ears as she watched him exit out the back.

When he was no longer in sight she looked down at the soft edge paper card in her hand and turned it over. Elegant script swirled across the paper in bold black letters spelling out:  **_Konan Herbalist and Residential Witch._ **


	6. Kingdom Made Flesh

A great while ago, when the world was full of wonders...

* * *

**OBELISK:**

**Kingdom of Monsters**

###  Kingdom Made Flesh

_ "…Throw roses into the abyss and say: _

_ 'here is my thanks to the monster who didn't succeed in swallowing me alive.'" _

_ -Friedrich Nietzscher _

* * *

Ino looked much better in a bathing suit, and it didn't have all that much to do with how small her chosen bikini was. True, that triangle top barely covered her boob hats, but it had more to do with how well toned and physically ideal Ino's body was. Since a young age, the blond had worshiped this idea of physical perfection in herself. The diets, the exercises, the sacrifices, nothing was too much for her end goal. Sakura remembered well the tears of frustration when her ideals failed to be realized in spite of all her efforts. She had been worried that Ino would actually hurt herself because of that shattered self esteem.

Men were draping themselves all over Ino, trying to take her attention away from the next guy caught in her eyes. All she had to do was stand somewhere and the males would swarm, no matter how or what they looked like themselves. If she snapped her fingers she could have them all doing tricks on their dicks for her, but Ino didn't have eyes for any of the guys crushing on her heels.

Sakura saw the moment Ino noticed her. The blond's impressive bitch face lifted into an excited grin and she began to wave an arm over her head to signal Sakura's attention, not caring who else saw. Seeing such a pretty girl get so excited, naturally the majority of her boy toys turned to see what got their crush so excited. Whatever reaction they had to seeing Sakura, she chose to ignore. It wasn't worth the drama or the feeling of diminished self worth.

"Oh Sakura," Ino breathed, pulling the pink haired girl into a tight embrace. "I was waiting for you."

"I saw." Sakura was the one who pulled away from the hug, but she didn't step away. It was a compromise. "Were you waiting long?" Ino shook her head.

"It's just so hot outside that everything feels longer than it actually is. Come on, take your shirt off, I want to go swimming."

"Do you think your top is actually going to stay on if we go into the water?" Sakura dryly teased, letting her friend lead her over to the beach chairs where Ino's things were already laid out.

Sakura wearily eyed the blond and her things before glancing down at what she had for herself. Unlike Ino, she wore an oversized NASA tee shirt she had gotten from the Goodwill for less than a buck. As old and faded as her tee shirt was, she was still hesitant to remove it, as her swimsuit wasn't as flattering as she would have liked it to be. She didn't have a huge chest, and her two piece was a high waisted bottom and halter top cut in navy blue and pok-a-dots.

Sakura never felt so self conscious about her body before, but when she stood next to Ino, it was hard not to. Even their things were different. Sakura's Ray Bands came from the General Mill, Ino's Aviators were hundreds of dollars. Sakura didn't want to look at the rest of her friend's stuff; she just wanted to pretend she wasn't so different.

There was a beach towel, a beach bag, and a tube of sunscreen left out. Ino picked up the sunscreen and offered it to Sakura. Rolling her eyes, Sakura turned away to lift the oversized tee shirt over her head and toss it down with her bag of things. Ino took the nonverbal cue to push Sakura's short hair aside and start applying the sunscreen. It was cold on her skin, and Sakura nearly shivered when she felt her friend rub it into her flesh.

"You cut your hair. I thought you hated short hair."

"I kind of do."

"It looks good on you. It's so cute and it makes your face look so much more open. I like it." Sakura would have shrugged if Ino wasn't lathering sunscreen into her shoulders. 

"I guess so. It's not my first choice, but I messed up my hair and this was the only way to save it. It'll grow back." Ino hummed a laugh.

"I have a feeling though that you're going to end up loving this hair. You might even want to cut it shorter one day."

Sakura couldn't imagine herself with much shorter hair, it was enough to make her laugh. Ino turned Sakura around with a huff and started smoothing more of the white sunscreen paste into the skin of Sakura's face. Sakura scrunched up her nose and squeezed her eyes, which Ino chastised her for. A moment later, the blond stood back, satisfied with her work.

"I don't think I've thanked you yet," Ino started to say, capping her sunscreen and tossing it back onto her sun chair. "And the fact that you called me… I was always so scared to contact you, but I… I'm really grateful that you're giving me another chance. You don't know what this means to me." Sakura felt uncomfortable, so she looked away, shrugging this time. 

"It's just swimming."

"But you're talking to me again."

Something made Sakura flinch, and she felt a shard of anger wedged way back deep in her bones twinge with the memory. She smothered those embers and made herself calm and strong again. She wasn't emotional about this anymore. She had moved beyond this a long time again, it was just… weird to let things go completely. 

"It wasn't my idea to stop talking in the first place," Sakura sighed. Ino wilted, remembering. She swallowed, looking down at her perfectly pedicured cherry red toe nails that matched her waterproof lips. Now that Sakura noticed, the tiny bikini was also the same shade of red. 

"Yeah… which is why… I-I'm like, I'm so, yeah. Um, thank you. I'm going to try and be better, to try and show you I've changed. I'm not the asshole I used to be, and I was! I was such an asshole."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh honestly. Hands in front of her face, she tried to hold it back, but the expressions and words of her friend were all too much to not find humor in. Ino blushed, looking away at her friend's laughing. Hesitantly, the blond peeked back at Sakura.

"Oi, I didn't think it was that funny."

"Oh, ah, sorry, that was rude of me to laugh at you like that when you were being all serious. Yeah, sorry, but it's fine now. It's so long ago that I don't even feel anything anymore when I think about it." Sakura ran her hands up through her hair before taking another half step backwards. She bit her lips, glancing away before speaking again, this time in a softer tone. "I think we're good if you want to go from here and start over again."

Ino looked ready to cry. She nodded once, grabbing for Sakura's hand. 

"Yeah. Yeah I do."

When Sakura saw how early in the day it was when she woke, she knew it was the perfect opportunity to explore the dream world a bit more before her day off on Sunday, which was tomorrow. Kakashi promised her they would go to the pier together and ride the ferris wheel. Sakura wanted to do things other than amusement park rides, like look for the Obelisk, but she smiled and nodded and let Kakashi believe all she wanted was enjoyment.

Kakashi took her by car to the corner of Greenwich Village that was super popular with the artists, hipsters, and witches of the city. The witch he wanted to take her to originally for protection charms lived in one of the apartments directly across from Konan. It would have been easy enough to fake casual curiosity, but Sakura thought it more direct to tell Kakashi everything about the conversation she had with Pein last night to explain her sudden interest in witches who specialize in removing curses.

Kakashi hadn't mentioned her curse since then, but she could tell he wanted to. He held himself back from digging into her personal matters, claiming it wasn't his place to pry open her personal life and impose his opinions on anything there. The only thing he asked was if the 'boys back in Mizu' knew about her curse, and when she said they didn't, Kakashi dropped it right there.

Kakashi stirred her from her inner musings once the car slowed down to an idle outside the witch's tea shop. 

"Shizune is actually an apprentice to an older, more renowned witch, but Tsunade is hard to track down and even harder to find sober. Once the prohibition hit, she skipped out for Spain and hasn't poked back in since."

"I've heard of Tsunade before," Sakura said. She guessed the Tsunade Kakashi was talking about was the same overbearing alcoholic from the Kingdom of Beasts who taught her healing. It made sense that she would show up as a witch in this narrative.

"Most monsters have. She's worth the talk, if she puts her mind to it. Shizune's good too, don't worry." Kakashi opened the door and stepped out before turning around to offer Sakura his hand. She took it, following him inside the innocent looking tea shop that doubled as a witch den for the people who bothered to look underneath the underneath.

Sakura felt warm as soon as they entered, and not in an uncomfortable way. Shizune was burning something, and it made her feel like a hug was wrapped all around her body. It was nice enough to make her smile. The tea shop had a few tables and chairs set up for customers to sit and enjoy freshly brewed tea in front of the window while a long table displayed many of the tea packets and bags for sale. On the wall behind the counter there was a tall bookshelf divided into cubbies that held different, rarer teas. Sakura recognized a few, but there were others with names too exotic to comprehend.

"The ones behind the counter are sold for divination," Kakashi explained. "Drink your tea and she'll read the tea leaves left behind. What do you think, interested?"

"Ah, not today. I'd be nervous about what my tea would say about me." Kakashi just chuckled at her response.

A second later, Shizune came out from the back smiling just as bright, offering them a standard greeting. Her hair was dark and cut short right to her jaw line in the latest flapper fashion. 

"What can I get for the two of you today?" she asked in an easy tone.

Kakashi pulled something out of his pocket and unfolded it before setting it down on the counter. Sakura peeked over his shoulder and saw rune markings. 

"I need some of these, if you have any in." Shizune looked down at the runes and then over at Sakura before glancing back at Kakashi. 

"Sure, these are pretty standard though, are you sure this is the only thing you need?"

"Ah, is there something else you would recommend?" Kakashi laughed easily, rubbing the back of his head. Shizune turned the piece of paper around to show off the runes to Kakashi, pointing to each one individually. 

"These are for basic protection, which means the magic is stretched thin and wide, doing little in the long run. You're better off with a luck amulet. These are also gender neural runes, if you know who these were going to, I would recommend something gender specific for more potency. We also have transgender and non binary runes."

"What do you think, Sakura? After all, these will be for you," Kakashi said, turning to look back at her.

Shizune watched the two expertly, reading the body language in the room and gauging their reactions. Sakura didn't know if she was a good witch, but she suspected the shopkeeper of being a highly intelligent woman at any rate. The last time they met, Shizune had been a medic, and a decent one at that.

"I think that's a better idea." Sakura smiled again. "I've heard nothing but good things about your excellent work, Shizune. I'll leave the matter of my protection charms in your skillful hands.”

Her words were kind enough to make the witch blush. Shizune pulled the paper back and held it up over her mouth to hide the grin. 

"O-oh, of course then. I'll get started on this right away. I'll have your runes ready for you in just a few minutes. Please wait here."

"Oh wait," Kakashi held up a hand before reaching inside his jacket's inner pocket. He glanced sideways at Sakura before shifting so that his shoulder was blocking whatever he was pulling out. Sakura wanted to be nosy and sneak a peek, but she restrained herself, pretending to be uninterested with his secrets. "Could you please use this for the runes?" Shizune looked the object over, smiling wide. 

"Yes, this is doable. It'll take me longer though, at least an hour and a half because of the delicate material. Would you like to come back later today to pick up and pay?"

"That would be ideal. We have other appointments we could see to in the meantime. You'll hear from us later today."

"Perfect." Shizune looked from Kakashi to Sakura and flashed her merchant smile. "You'll love it, I promise." Sakura inclined her head like a lady would. 

"Thank you. That is most appreciated."

Once Shizune slipped back behind the curtain separating her tea house from the rest of the workshop she turned to give Kakashi a stern look that expressed how much she appreciated his secrecy. He just chuckled.

"It's not funny," Sakura huffed. "Are we going across the street to the apartments to see Konan now, or are there other secret errands you want to run?"

"Don't sound so sour, you'll get to see it in a few hours when it's done, and trust me, it's worth the extra wait. It'll be something worn for your protection, so it might as well be something worth wearing. Pretty girls should have pretty things."

Sakura felt her chest pinch and her cheeks flush with color. Kakashi's words were complimentary, no more or less than what she was used to hearing from men and boys at Obito's club. She was a club singer that got dressed up to sing and entertain people, it was common to hear compliments and she always enjoyed them, but they didn't always make her feel like when Kakashi said them, or when other actors like Pein said such things. Maybe it was because she knew their words meant more, or that they meant more with their words.

She wanted to hit her head against something. Sure, she was an adult, just turned twenty four this year, but Kakashi was older than the others. She tried to see him as an older brother, but that was odd. If she thought about him, he felt more like a father or uncle, and the fact that she was somewhat attracted to someone she thought of as a father or uncle… it didn't make her brain happy. She wasn't a pervert!

She nearly tripped stepping up onto the sidewalk and Kakashi had to catch her by the elbow. 

"Are you alright?" he asked with a tone of concern. Sakura put on a smile and nodded. 

"Perfect. Let's just make it up there as soon as possible. I have a feeling this isn't worth the time, but it's as good as anything for killing time."

"With an attitude like that, you'll see very little success in life," Kakashi chastised, sounding even more like a father or wise mentor figure.

"My attitude has very little to do with the state of my life right now."Sakura laughed dryly. Her curse couldn't be justified or wished away with a smile.

Konan lived in an apartment on the second floor of a complex rented exclusively to working witches and alchemists. There were a few customers going to and fro out of rooms on the first floor, and even more on the second floor. There were just as many smells as there were sights. Some witches and wizards left their doors open like shops, taking walk-ins with eager smiles, others kept their doors bolted tight and painted with sigils.

Sakura found the apartment belonging to Konan and pulled out the business card from Pein, to double check before knocking. Next door, a witch with purple hair approached her open doorway to shut it, a new customer already sitting down at her tarot reading table.

It took a few seconds, too many in Sakura's opinion, but eventually she heard the chains sliding back and the locks coming undone. The familiar blue haired woman opened her door only wide enough for her figure to be seen. Her hair was up and pinned with sticks meant for burning. She raised a perfect brown at Sakura and Kakashi before speaking. 

"I don't have any appointments today. Are you first time referrals?" Sakura nodded, handing Konan her own business card. 

"A man at the restaurant recommended you. His name was Pein."

There was loud hacking laughter from inside the apartment that sounded more like bed sheets tearing than any human voice. Konan cursed and turned to run back inside, leaving the door to swing slowly open. Propped up on the couch and surrounded by candles was a very sick looking Nagato.

If he had been asleep, he would have been the exact copy of his former self in the Kingdom of Man when Sakura found him and healed him of the venom left in his blood, effectively freeing the Obelisk and sending her into the next gate. He had been sick in the last kingdom too, something about his lungs breaking down, but in that world, he and Konan weren't so close. Sakura hadn't missed the band on Konan's ring finger, which looked oddly similar to the one around Nagato's thumb. His fingers were too thin to wear it regularly anymore. Pein had no ring.

"Would it be better to come back at another time?" Kakashi asked, tugging Sakura closer to his side.

"No," Nagato coughed, still smiling with good nature. "Pein told me to hear her sing. Please Konan… I came out all the way to the living room too."

"If you over exerted yourself for that silly reason-" Konan's words were cut off by his raspy attempts at speaking.

"It's not silly, I never get out. At least this small mercy, please my love." He looked at her with such tenderness, Sakura couldn't help but feel envy in her heart. She had been looked at like that once, so she knew there was little chance of Konan denying him anything. Knowing how much she already loved him, it was only a matter of time before she gave in.

"Your health…"

"Isn't getting any better or worse by listening. My angel, please." He reached out to touch her face.

Sighing deeply, Konan nodded, leaning back away from her husband and looking over at the two visitors for what seemed like the first time. She blushed a bit, lowering her lids and coughing into the back of her hand to hide her discomfort at being caught acting so tenderly in front of strangers.

"I can not promise you anything, but I would be willing to investigate your curses in exchange for a song, as my husband requested. Pein did send you, so that much I can offer."

Sakura had been right. Husband. It made her wonder about their real lives, the lives they lived before they were taken in by the curse. They always seemed connected during the dream sequences, they always had stories that paired them closely, did that mean that once upon a time before they died the two of them had a life together, had a bond so strong it survived into and beyond their death? It was enough to make her feel envy.

She swallowed the feeling and turned to Nagato, who watched her with tired, but excited eyes. 

"Do you have a request or anything in particular you would like to hear? I don't have a band, so it won't sound as good, I'm afraid."

"What was the song you sang for Pein, the one he said he asked for specifically? If it isn't too much trouble, I'd love to hear that." He looked behind her to Konan who was setting up a table with cards and herbs. She huffed but continued with her work, implying that she didn't care to stay and listen.

Kakashi took a seat and Sakura moved to stand behind him, since it was always easier to sing while standing for her. She laid a hand on his shoulder and drummed her fingers against the fabric of his suit jacket, trying to remember what the band would sound like if they were with her. The beat and the melody was one she knew well enough, but would it fit in as something that sounded as jazzy as she wanted it? Did it matter?

She hummed, searching for the melody and finding it. Caught in her net she dragged it through the waves before falling into it herself. She was submerged, lost in the music she made herself. When she parted her lips to sing her voice was deeper, smoother, bolder without the band to distract it.

" _ You've got me hypnotized… I'm feeling so obsessed with you. You left me par-a-lyzed….. And now I'm stuck… You got me stuck…Oh. _ "

She sang the song Paralyzed for Nagato, sinking into it. When she opened her eyes, Konan was beside her husband, holding his hand and staring at her anew. With the song over, she blinked and shook her head, remembering who she was entertaining and where she was. Nagato looked up with a knowing smile, squeezing her hand in his.

"I feel better already."

"You're worse than some fools, old man." She lightly tapped his shoulder, and there was love in the gesture, before turning her eyes back to Sakura, to face her fully. "So, you have a curse for me to look at. It can't be so terrible if you're still able to look like that and sing for crowds."

"That's not the sort of curse it is," Sakura murmured, nodding shyly and bowing her head.

Kakashi reached up to pat the hand she left limp on his shoulder. His smile was encouraging, and she remembered the butterflies from before. She smiled at him, but pulled her hand away once Konan stood and beckoned her to the table she had set up earlier.

The woman with the blue hair took a seat and gestured for Sakura to do the same at the table in a chair opposite from her own. On the table was a drawing made out of black ash and stalks of wisteria and another plant Sakura didn't recognize. Konan moved the wisteria away, dropping it into a vase filled with something other than water. The mysterious bud she left before was turned over and placed into Sakura's hand.

"I'm not going to read your mind, but what I am doing is looking inside of you, to the places that make up your soul, for that is where your curse will hold onto you. It's not a physical ailment, you said." Sakura shook her head. 

"Mostly it attacks my dreams. I think you're right, it's internal." Konan sighed.

"They always are. Please close your eyes, that will make it easier for me."

Sakura did as she was instructed, and felt not two seconds later a sucking pull as something sank into her, becoming smaller and sharper and faster as it took her apart piece by piece. Sakura wanted to gasp, but she doubted she was even attached to her body by the way she felt with another presence inside of her. Konan was picking her apart, and Sakura knew there were parts of her that weren't meant to be pulled back.

She must have made a face or let out a harsh breath, because Kakashi was beside her in an instant, his hand on her elbow, where she had grown used to his touches. He called her name, but he sounded so far away when he was just by her ear.

Nagato was speaking to Kakashi, saying something about 'not being able to hear' and she guessed they were talking about her, but she didn't care about the two of them, she was more concerned with Konan pulling her apart and what the blue haired witch would find. There was stinging from deep within, and Sakura felt a second sob of dull pain echo inside of her.

Outside, Kakashi wiped away the tears that leaked through her eyes.

It felt like forever, but there was a sinking feeling from her gut, and then she experienced the sensation of something akin to a wind being sucked out of her. She felt deflated and small again. Konan had pulled away and was out.

Looking up from under her lashes, Sakura saw the blue haired woman was looking at Sakura differently, in a way that made her husband tense from the couch. Kakashi drew closer to her, hand still on her elbow.

"What did you see?" Kakashi asked before Sakura could.

"You were right about a curse."

"You thought I would make something like that up." Sakura chuckled. 

"I apologize. There are many who come in claiming they are cursed but it turns out that they're just hungry for attention. I thought you were one of them." Konan held her hands palm sides up, keeping her voice calm. 

Sakura hummed to herself, closing her eyes and remembering the taste of sulfur in her mouth and the feel of Orochimaru's knife in her gut. 

"It would be nice if that was all it was." Konan nodded her head slowly. 

"I understand now." After a beat, she picked up a stalk of wisteria and pressed it into Sakura's hand. "This is to calm you. Sometimes my… assessments, can be unnerving if I ever actually find anything. Are you feeling dizzy?"

"No," Sakura lied. All she had to do was close her eyes and the world stopped spinning. Beside her, she felt Kakashi pull away. A minute later, he returned with a glass of water. Konan commanded her to drink, so Sakura did. After finishing the glass, she felt better.

"I'll start off by saying I think there is little I or any other curse expert could do for you. What I found in you was old, older than anything I've ever seen before, and dark. Even among monsters it is rare that I encounter anything so dark."

"What did you see?" Sakura asked, already knowing there would be nothing Konan could do for her. All of this was just for show, a way of her going through the motions. She was in and existing inside of the curse as Konan spoke to her, it was all so silly.

"How did you contract this curse in the first place?"

Sakura explained how she had found a box of perfumes and accidentally confused the Obelisk with just an elaborate perfume bottle. After solving the puzzle and opening the seal, the curse had dwelt inside of her ever since. It wasn't a hard story to believe in this time era or world. Konan told Sakura she thought her curse originated from somewhere in ancient Egypt, because of the sandy smell and something that couldn't be described as anything more than an 'Egyptian feeling.'

Konan sat back to mull it all over before standing up to pour herself some tea. She offered a cup to each of her guests, but Sakura refused, same as Kakashi. Konan returned with a filled cup and matching saucer to sip from occasionally. Whatever her brew was, it smelled soothing and calm. Sakura didn't doubt that calming was its purpose.

"I've thought it over just now, and while it is true I can not remove the curse from you, there is a way for me to… lift the scales, in a manner of speaking."

Konan set her tea aside and scattered the black ash, adding more till it was thick enough to draw in. Using her pointer finger she began to trace a pattern.

"There were weaknesses in the curse that might be worth exploring. It felt like a huge scab to me, but under parts of it I saw what looked like a weapon, a sword or dagger of some kind." Konan traced a sword in the ash, reminding Sakura of her bone handled katana. "Another part looked like a snake knotted onto a pole." Sakura thought of the medical insignia and recalled her ability to heal others in the past, like when she extracted the poison from Kiba and all the others inside the Monarch Woods and Kingdom of Beasts.

"Anything else?" Sakura asked, wondering if these symbols meant anything more than what she suspected.

"Yes, but nothing within reach. Everything else is too tightly bound or guarded or however you see it. As a curse breaker, I might be able to do something about these two things if you are willing to try, but I make no promises."

If Sakura could summon her weapons again, she would be in better shape. Same could be said for her healing abilities. Things hadn't turned too terrible yet, but Sakura didn't want to sit around and wait till the monsters came for her in force. Locking eyes with the blue haired witch she nodded. 

"Please do what you can."

"Wait," Kakashi's hand was on her elbow again, but he was looking at the witch. "What risk does this pose to Sakura? Can you guarantee her safety throughout this?"

Konan reached behind her and picked at a plant beside the upright piano. She plucked a stalk and put it in Sakura's hand, taking away the Wisteria. 

"This is Traveler's Joy, to bring safety. Hold on to that and I'll be able to snap the connection before anything negative happens." Sakura nodded before looking back over her shoulder at Kakashi. 

"I want to do this. I'll be fine."

He wouldn't stop her. Kakashi would protect her from anything, would turn his body over as a shield for her, but he wouldn't stop her or hold her back from what she wanted to do. His hand left her elbow, but the heat from his palm was still close enough to feel when Sakura turned back to Konan and nodded.

The blue haired witch reached for Sakura again, and this time the jolt of being invaded wasn't nearly as intrusive. She felt the witch working through her and Sakura relaxed into it, trusting Konan. Sakura felt her curse spread out within her like a bumpy scab, crusted and dried with blood that prevented outside agents from passing. Only this scab was stronger than anything like it. The curse had a death-hold on her, and wouldn't be appeased until she died.

Sakura stiffened when she felt Konan hit something. The blue haired witch had a hold on the scab over the crest with the speared serpent. Konan was powerful and mighty as she pulled at the scab, trying to tear it up and away, but she was too young for such an old curse. She persevered fiercely, putting all her effort into it, whispering chants and spells for such a task, but the scab that started to peel and bend, didn't leave. She came away with a cracked fragment of it, and that's when Sakura knew their time was up.

Coming out of the daze Sakura felt lighter, even as Konan struggled to remain upright in her seating position. The curse was still there, still strong and powerful and old inside of Sakura, bonded there with Hayate's will, but there was a crack now. Konan had managed to pull a piece away and Sakura felt it like a pearl behind her bosom. She had one gift, one chance, one shot at healing. Hayate had tried to keep all of it from her, but she had earned this pearl back.

"You did it," Sakura breathed in wonder. Kakashi perked up, glancing to Konan who shook her head limply, still looking tired.

"I didn't do anything; I wasn't able to pull the curse off for you. It's still there, and it wants to kill you." Konan looked angry and frustrated, refusing to meet Sakura's eyes.

Sakura stood, moving around the table to crouch down in front of the blue haired witch. Konan still wouldn't meet her eyes, but Sakura cupped the side of Konan's face all the same, trying to be comforting. 

"I knew that curse was here to stay, there was never any doubt in my mind of that, but you did an amazing thing for me, and now I can pay you back for your kindness."

"Sakura," Kakashi called, trying to get her attention. The green eyed girl had stood and was crossing the room to kneel before Nagato who had watched them all. Nagato tried to grin, but it came out looking pained. Sakura met his sloppy grin with one of her own. 

"We always come back to this, just like I'm always here for this," she whispered, reaching for the pearl burning in her chest. It was a small miracle meant for someone other than her.

Nagato tried to sit up and meet her, to push her hand away, but when Sakura lifted it from her chest. The light was there, trapped in the palm of her hand, and seeping into his cheek from where she placed her palm. There was venom in his soul, stone and anger too. A curse bearing an oddly familiar signature. She had been humming, and the water encircled her mind with salty sweetness. She could smell and taste a far away ocean as the light left her hand. Heat faded, and she opened her eyes to see what had become of the sick young man.

"N-N-Nagato…?"

Sakura stood away, taking a step or two back before Kakashi caught her. She tried to laugh at her own silly footsteps, but he pulled her towards him and pinned her under his arm, keeping her safe from the possibility of falling again. Her legs felt like rubber. It was the same sort of sensation she got when she went too long without eating. She was just too light and too empty all of a sudden. She tried giggling at him.

"What did you do?" he asked her, looking from her to Nagato.

"I used to be able to do more," Sakura murmured, face falling towards his chest as her eyes dropped.

She yawned once, missing how Konan began to cry silent tears of joy. Sakura's eyes were too heavy to open, but she managed to lift her lids part way. Nagato was standing, the shallow, paper skin was gone. He was vibrant and healthy again, missing the bags that once hung under his eyes and the hollows of his cheeks. His face was full at last, and his legs were strong enough for standing.

Sakura saw Konan collapse into her husband, he in turn squeezing her tight. They were both laughing loud. He picked her up and spun her around, knocking over the coffee table and a nearby lamp. Their laughter was too loud to leave room for caring about such things.

Sakura reached up, wrapping an arm behind Kakashi's head and making a sound in the back of her throat. Without another hint, Kakashi bent down to take Sakura into his arms and hold her. She rested her head on his chest easily enough, nearly ready for sleep. Her dream was ending soon.

"I don't know how you did it, but you're amazing!" Nagato exclaimed, looking at her. "You're amazing, the most amazing ever!"

"How could I ever…?" Konan choked on the words, knowing there was nothing she could do to repay the girl. "Thank you." Sakura just hummed, too tired to form words. She tapped Kakashi's chin with the pad of her forefinger and he nodded. 

"We need to get going. Sakura is due back for a show tonight and needs her rest."

"You probably shouldn't make her sing tonight. She'll be exhausted for a while. It wasn't a little thing, what she did. I've been in this business for years, devoting so much of my life to it. What she did, I could never do, and you were the ones who came here asking for help."

A knock on the door cut short Kakashi's reply. Without waiting for an answer, the purple haired witch from next door let herself in, pulling a hexed skeleton key from the keyhole. She frowned at the slight mess. 

"What happened in here? You made a mess!" Konan's eyes were still to wet and soft for annoyance. 

"Yūgao… I… It's a good thing. I-it doesn't matter now. Look." She held on to her husband. "He's better."

"Great," the apathetic witch sighed. "That's fine, but you need to keep it down. I was working and you're banging cost me a session. Now I have to reschedule." From behind her, the client from before stepped forward, tapping her shoulder encouragingly. 

"That's fine," he replied airily. "I'm busy anyways." Kakashi stiffened, and Sakura felt it. She risked a look up over his shoulder to see why and froze as well. The Uchiha police officer smiled at the pair and waved. 

"Were you the beauty I heard singing earlier? What a work of art! With a voice like that, it's a wonder you're not in show business."

"We were just leaving," Kakashi said in an even tone, pretending he wasn't shaken by the arrival of Shisui Uchiha.

Sakura was too tired to think clearly as the world began to fade away with the end of her dream, but she couldn't miss the decisive look in the young man's eyes as he watched them leave. His eyes didn't leave her until she was behind a wall and out of sight.

Right before she faded away, she heard Kakashi curse.

Sakura watched Ami flicker through a series of photos downloaded onto her laptop from the last photo secession. They were all of a pretty girl with long blond hair and eyes like glaciers. Ino had been decisive in working her way into Sakura's life in whatever way she could. The blond now had a job in the city and planned on setting down some roots.

"We can start over," she said to Sakura.

Ami hadn't missed the tension coiling around Sakura ever since she started seeing Ino. Karin still didn't know about the blind reappearance and it was only a matter of time.

"You're going to have to tell her soon, like this week soon, because I want to post these to my blog and Karin will see them. You can't avoid this."

"I know." Sakura shook her head, hating how her hair went everywhere. "But it's going to be ugly at first."

"Like… Karin will stop talking to you bad or, Karin won't shut up about chewing you out for being so sneaky?" Sakura shrugged.

"This is Karin we're talking about. She could do both."

"It's swing," Kakashi explained when he saw the blank look on Sakura's face after leading her into the dance hall.

"It's coordinated dancing." Sakura stared up at her manager with veiled horror. 

While Sakura could dance fine at a sock hop, where no one cared how sloppy you were, old school swing with flips and kicks intimidated her. Her favorite kind of dancing was the kind with no partner and no rules.

"What other kind of dancing could there possibly be?" Kakashi asked around a laugh, thinking her joke to be intentional. He didn't know she was thinking of electro dance clubs with strobe lights and hanging cages. This was a different age.

"Kakashi, I don't know if I can dance swing very well." It had been a long time since she last tried, and while she had done fine by the end of the lesson, she was by no means proficient. "What are we doing here anyway?"

The older man shrugged, taking her arm and leading her to a table close to the corner away from the crowd. Sakura sat with a sigh of gratitude, setting her silver colored clutch down. A frenzy of dancers performing a perfect Charleston passed by, riding the energetic jazz all the way across the dance floor.

In addition to this being a swing hall, it wasn't the pier where she had wanted to go when Kakashi first mentioned it. She had thought that tonight would have been a night where they could visit, but it seemed like that wasn't going to happen. When she first asked him about it, he mentioned something about it being closed for the day because of repairs. Still, at least she was out somewhere new. It was better than nothing.

"You've been doing an excellent job with Obito, and this is a night for you to enjoy yourself. No dancing required. Just sit and enjoy someone else entertaining you for once."

A waiter came close and Kakashi waved him over, asking for the night's special and a bottle of bubbly. Sakura eyed him suspiciously, knowing Kakashi didn't drink with Obito. 

"I didn't know you drank the devil's brew. How come I've never seen you drink before?"

"I was always working before, it's not appropriate to drink on the job. Besides, I think tonight should be special."

"There's an occasion?"

"Does there need to be an occasion?" Sakura narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, resting her chin on the back of her hand. She knew better than to believe Kakashi took her to a dance hall on her night off for no reason. 

"You told me to wear something nice."

"You always wear something nice. I've never seen you not wear something nice."

"You're trying to flatter me into giving up on this, and it's working." Sakura watched his smile stretched wider across his face before narrowing her eyes again. "But not well enough. I'll get it out of you sooner or later." Kakashi just chuckled.

"The songstress is prone to flattery, I would have never guessed that. Don't you get tired of people telling you you're pretty all the time? It has to wear off sooner or later."

"Is that something you've come to believe in from experience?" Sakura asked with a raised eyebrow. When Kakashi made a confused looking face, it was her turn to laugh. "Oh please, I'm not blind. You can make a married woman droll. Isn't that why you take care to obscure your face so often in shadows and high collars?" She gave him a second to process her words before adding, "You're very pretty, Kakashi."

Kakashi leaned back in his seat, his hand rubbing his jaw and obscuring a portion of the bottom half of his face. 

"Flattery usually doesn't work on me, Sakura."

"Usually?" She raised a single brow. 

"Don't push your luck, princess. You can ask anything else and I'll tell you easy enough, whatever you want to know. I'd like you to feel safe enough around me to ask questions."

The waiter came by their table with their food and Sakura leaned back while her dinner was set out before her. Kakashi took the glasses and the bottle of illegal wine before pouring some for the pair of them. Not knowing how it would affect her while asleep and in the dream world, Sakura took her glass with hesitation before tasting the bubbles of a French man's labors. White champagne danced on her tongue and she savored the light feeling before it was gone.

"You like?"

"It's lovely," she purred, lowering her lids to feel all the more the sensation of her drink sinking into her taste buds. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it. I wanted to ask you how you felt about your work, currently. Do you enjoy singing for Obito?"

"Of course, I have nothing to complain about."

Kakashi took a fork to his food, picking a piece to speak before asking his question. 

"Does that always mean you enjoy something… if there is nothing to complain about?"

"Usually." Sakura followed his example and picked at her food. She wanted more of her drink, but knew it would be better to pace herself. "I do enjoy singing, wherever it is. I like the feeling I get when I sing, like I'm drowning in good memories. I used to dream about being a singer when I was very young, but I thought that would only be a dream and nothing more once I got older."

"You doubted?" Kakashi echoed, clearly surprised. "What made you think you were playing with dreams?"

"Oh please, don't tell me you've never experienced that in all your life. Didn't you ever go through a phase as a child where you wanted to be something before growing up and realizing it was a silly dream and nothing more? A pirate or a knight in brilliant armor?" When Kakashi chuckled, his expression was laced in bitterness. 

"No, I just dreamed of useful things before becoming a monster. I'm sorry, It was rude of me to tease your childhood self."

That's right, Kakashi was a werewolf. He hadn't been born that way. Somewhere along the line in his life, something had happened to take away the life he knew as a human and replace it with the habits and haunts of a wild monster that could barely be controlled. She remembered hearing about how the only reason Kakashi was as collected as he was when he transformed was because of the eye Obito sacrificed to his boyhood friend.

Uchiha were a mysterious race of monsters. On top of being winged devils with dark features, they possessed the ability to enthrall lesser monsters and even humans. According to Rin, Shisui was especially well known for his ability to deeply control those who fell under the spell of his blood red pinwheel eyes. Sakura's eyes lit up.

"Does tonight have something to do with running into Shisui?" she asked suddenly. Kakashi flinched and Sakura knew she had hit on something. 

"Why would you think that?"

"I don't know," Sakura smirked, impishly. "You should tell me. But it makes sense, he was the person we ran into yesterday who made you as tense as a steel rod. Do you think he is dangerous?" Kakashi sighed, setting the end of his fork down onto the rim of his dish.

"In terms of prowess and skill, Shisui is dangerous, but Kagami is even more mature and skilled. I'm not worried about them as potential enemies, but I do see Shisui as a threat. He works closely with the head of the Uchiha family and reports back to Madara, the patriarch. They're powerful, immortal things that like to play with people."

"You think the Uchiha clan would want to hurt us?" Kakashi shook his head, putting her at ease.

"No, but they have many enemies. It's dangerous to be their interest. I've heard stories of people they refuse to let go and friends who were killed in order to send messages. To be honest, they're not the worst thing that could happen, but I don't like the idea of Madara or the others… listening to you singing. They're possessive, petty creatures with good taste."

"Yet you took me to Obito."

"Obito is the least Uchiha out of all the Uchiha I know. He's a good fellow, not like his Uncle, Madara." Sakura stared down at her plate. 

"You think it would be a bad thing for me if Shisui told the others about me, but you don't think they would hurt me?" She looked up at Kakashi, narrowing her eyes. "Kakashi, are you just jealous?"

"Maybe. I told you before, that you were my idol for a while when I was stationed in Chicago." He laughed.

"A little bit," Sakura admitted.

"Your shows were always sold out. It was hell trying to get in on the weekends, but I was determined, because at the time Zabuza was someone I had to… assess for possible assassination from a well to do client. Zabuza's club was on the waterfront, and it always smelled like salt, even though we were on the great lakes and that didn't make sense. Kisame was a Finfolk and Zabuza was a selkie though, so they carried the sea with them."

"What about Haku?" Sakura asked, closing her eyes and remembering her friends from the last kingdom. How were they different here? It was sad to think that she already had a history with them as Sakura the Singer in Prohibition era America, even though she didn't remember any of it. She especially missed Kisame's easy friendship.

"Haku was a good boy, a selkie from a better breed. They all adored you, though. At first it was just business, but I enjoyed myself too much listening to your songs about heartache and loss." He smiled to himself. "I tried meeting with you once, after a set, and sweet little Haku nearly took my head off for it."

"I thought you said he was a good boy," Sakura laughed, imagining it.

"I didn't tell you what the other two tried to do to me. Did you not know any of this?" Sakura laughed, reaching for her drink and shaking her head. 

"No, this is a story."

"Well, you were the most interesting piece, so it's not surprising. From the sounds of it, those three kept you fairly well in the dark about the rest of their activities as well. They treasured you well. I was surprised to hear they had ever agreed to letting you leave."

Sakura wished she could have seen what Kakashi spoke of, wished she could see what happened when her singer persona decided to leave their club in Chicago. Had it been like when she tried to leave in the Kingdom of Beasts, where Zabuza wouldn't watch her go, and Haku proposed marriage? Had Kisame really let her leave without issue?

"They're not my guardians. I'm my own woman. I can come and go as I please." Sakura lazily traced the edge of her glass, watching the bubbles pop. 

"Hayate warned me. He said you were fiercely independent."

"And is that such a terrible thing?" Sakura sent Kakashi a mildly annoyed look across their dining table. 

"I've enjoyed it so far. I've gotten to know you better, haven't I?"

There was an echo of a memory, something Hayate said to her in the back of her mind. Something about the actors being useful, about needing the actors. Sakura remembered making the decision to try and help the actors whenever she could. That was why she sacrificed her early exit to remove Neji's curse and gave up her one healing power boost to heal Nagato. It wasn't exactly the same, but she felt like this night was meant for her to learn more about Kakashi.

"Kakashi." She called his name and he looked up. "You know Darui from the kitchen is a genie right? Like in Aladdin. Have you ever heard that story?" The older man chuckled.

"I'm not sure they're the same thing. It's actually-"

"Shhh-sh," Sakura waved her hand in his face, cutting him off. "Just pretend, okay? Pretend he can give you one wish, like the genie in the ring from the story. Not an earth changing wish, or anything massive, but a little wish. What would it be?"

"You want me to name a wish?" His voice was heavy with amusement.

"Just play along, please. What do you want?"

Kakashi chuckled, sipping from his glass before leaning back and thinking. She saw something come into his mind by the way his face shifted from one expression to another. He lifted his glass again, but stopped before it could reach his lips. He set the glass back and scooted forward, shifting the weight of his body forward so that he leaned over the table, closer to Sakura.

"Do you remember a song you sang once? I've only heard it once, and I don't know if it was popular or not, but it was about a pair of careless lovers who were fated to die, and she hopes she can take him to heaven with her." Sakura felt a pull and recognized something.

"Born to die?"

It was a Lana Del Ray song she remembered crying to once a long time ago, after she and Karin played a game where they had to come up with stories for songs on the radio. Sakura's story had been about a pair of such careless lovers who knew they were going to die. She was a good girl, if a bit wild, and he was a devil who protected her violently. It grew into something elaborate between the girls and then was forgotten. It threw her that Kakashi was asking for it now.

"It meant something more to me than any of the other songs. I remember hearing it in my head later when a mission went south, and I thought I was never going to stop bleeding." There was something far away in Kakashi's eyes. "If I could have one wish, I'd want to hear that song again."

She reached across the table and took his wrist in her hand, turning it over so his fingers splayed across the inside of her arm. She felt scared to touch him, like he would break, and she prayed it wasn't a sign that meant anything.

He followed when she led him away from the table. The dance floor was behind them and she led him just a little bit away to a patch of floor where the sounds didn't follow. The band was winding down, giving the people time to rest.

She fit his hand over her waist and the other followed her to her shoulder. Slowly, she began to sway.

" _ Feet don't fail me now, take me to the finish line. Oh, my heart it breaks every step that I take. But I'm hoping that at the gates they'll tell me, that you're mine. _ "

His head tipped towards her, his eyes closed as a memory or nostalgia washed over him. This time she was drowning him in foaming waves that pulled hard at his heartstrings.

" _ Walking through the city streets, is it by mistake or design? I feel so alone on a Friday night, can you make it feel like home if I tell you you're mine? It's like I told you honey, don't make me sad, don't make me cry. Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough, I don't know why. Keep making me laugh, let's go get high, the road is long, we carry on, try to have fun in the meantime. _ "

She moved the hand she rested on his shoulder down to his breast, right above where she could feel his heart beating through the fabric. She could hear his breath as it fanned out across her face, and it all felt right and sad at the same time, his hurt felt hidden deep in his body. He was a husk of pain and old scars. It almost frightened her how expansive the pain stretched and how well she could feel it.

" _ Come and take a walk on the wild side, let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain. You like your girls insane. Choose your last words, this is the last time… Cause you and I… _ "

She heard him suck in a breath and saw that his eyes were glass.

" _ …Oh, we were born to die. _ "

######  _ "There are a few things in life so beautiful they hurt: swimming in the ocean while it rains, reading alone in empty libraries, the sea of stars that appear when you're miles away from the neon lights of the city, bars after 2am, walking in the wilderness, all the phases of the moon, the things we do not know about the universe, and you." _

######  _ — Beau Taplin || and you _

She woke up earlier than expected. She had hours to go before her show, and the last few nights had been good. She hadn't seen Pein since healing his friend, but Obito told her that his conglomerate was appeased and willing to work with the Uchiha again as thanks for what Sakura did for Nagato and Konan. It wasn't known to anyone other than Kakashi what made Sakura so popular with the fighting Irish, but when Obito asked, Sakura shrugged and said it must of had something to do with one of her performances. She could tell Obito didn't believe her, but the older Uchiha didn't push her for answers, and for that she was grateful.

With Kakashi in another conference with Obito, Sakura went to the cook looking for something to do. Darui was usually pissed at everyone, and not the sort of person you wanted to be around unless you were paying him, but he put up with Sakura more than anyone else, (with the exception of cute little Tobi.)

He gave her a wet rag and asked her to wipe down the table with a bottle of cleaner. If he thought that would insult her, Sakura could only make assumptions, but she didn't mind the work. It was something to do that kept her close to Kakashi. She wasn't supposed to leave when he couldn't, so if he was in a conference, she was as good as jailed.

Bending over a table to reach its far end, the mother of pearl scale bracelet jangled on her arm. On the inside of four of the scales were the protection runes Kakashi had commissioned Shizune to carve. It was almost too beautiful to wear when cleaning, but Kakashi had made her swear to never take it off unless it was absolutely necessary. Sakura couldn't imagine wanting to take it off. She loved how it caught the light and shimmered on her wrist. It made her want to hum with happiness.

"I can't believe they're making you work for your stay now."

Sakura gasped, snapping up and turning around, the rag still in her hand. Her eyes widened at the shiny gold badge on his chest before returning to normal. She licked her lips and forced her breathing to slow. 

"You scared me. Is that a habit from being a police officer?" Kagami laughed good naturedly, his dark eyes sparkling in the dim lights. 

"No, I'm sorry, I never meant to scare you. I had been planning on speaking with Obito, but then I heard your humming. Why are you cleaning the tables? Obito should have people for that." Sakura shrugged, turning the rag over in her hands. 

"I don't mind it, and Darui said if I was bored this would be helpful. Tobi's still with the tutor and couldn't play so…"

"You play with Tobi often?" The taller Uchiha chuckled, removing his cap and running a hand through his messy hair. It was thick as crow's feathers and reminded her again of Shisui.

"He's my friend."

"But he's a child," Kagami laughed, finding amusement in her answer. "Don't you have anyone else your own age you can find entertainment with?"

Sakura turned the rag over her hands, thinking about how little of the world she had seen so far. Kakashi had promised to take her to the pier, but it had been weeks and neither night off had been a good time or a safe time for such a trip. She appreciated all he did for her, but wondered if he was an obstacle Hayate had put in her way to overcome. Kakashi was keeping her from finding the Obelisk and seeing more of the world. Sakura's eyes went wide and she looked up suddenly. 

"Where are you going after you speak to Obito?"

"Ah, um, back home to change and then I'm going to come here for dinner." The tips of his ears turned a little red in contrast with his black tresses. "Why would you want to know that?"

"Is it important what you have to say to Obito? Can it wait until later tonight?" Sakura took a brave step forward.

It seemed as if Kagami forgot how to breath for a second before swallowing and remembering the words he needed to speak. 

"It- it can wait. Why?"

"Can you do me a favor? Just for tonight, I want to go out. I can't ever do this and I just want one night where I don't feel like a prisoner here. If I was with you, I'd be safe."

When it looked like he wasn't about to say yes, she made her eyes wide and thought about what it would feel like to have dry eyes, knowing that was what it took to make her eyes look glassy and water up. If she felt bad for manipulating Kagami, she ignored the guilt. She'd make it up to him later.

"I-I don't see why that would be a problem," He smiled with shaky lips, not used to the attention. "If we're back before dark there shouldn't be anything to complain about." Absently he touched the front of his uniform. "D-do you mind if I'm dressed like this?"

"Should I?" Sakura wondered why he thought being seen together while in uniform was a bad idea. Was it because he was an Uchiha?

"No, I guess not. I'll keep you safe, but you should at least tell someone you're going with me. They'll worry." He shook his head, glossy black curls shifting.

Sakura nodded, knowing exactly what she would do. She returned the wet rag to Darui and told him exactly where she was going before finding one of Kakashi's dogs. As she expected, Obito and Kakashi's little talk resulted in the pair taking a 'stroll' through the neighborhood. She had asked to go on one of these walks before, but was sternly warned against it. Well, if Kakashi wanted to skip out on her, she was free to do the same to him. She found Bull and told him where she was going before warning him not to follow. She knew he would, but this way he would at least be discreet about it.

"Ready?" Kagami asked when she stepped out with her small side purse looped over her shoulder.

She smiled in reply before looping an arm through his. He took it like it was the natural thing to do and she suspected it was. They were living in a different time.

Kagami had his own car he led her to. There, he stored his badge and gun in the space underneath his seat and dropped his hat onto the dashboard. There were no seat belts to keep her in place, but Kagami offered her his arm, pressing her against his side and holding her there as he drove easily with one hand.

Sakura felt hesitant at first, but Kagami didn't make her feel anxious in her heart like others had in the past. She felt safe with him, and maybe that was because he was often nervous around her.

She didn't get the same shock in her chest when Shisui showed up in a doorway with hungry eyes. She didn't doubt that was the last she would see of the wilier Uchiha. He would be back.

The pair came up to the parking lot outside the pier fairgrounds before it felt like any time at all had passed. Sakura gasped at the happy crowds walking past and the smell of cotton candy sugar. She heard laughter and felt excitement on her skin. There was something about the pier that was important.

"You look like a christmas tree, all lit up like that," Kagami laughed before tugging her out the driver's side door. She followed without reservation. "If I knew this was all it took to get that smile out of you, I'd have kidnapped you sooner."

"I think we should be clear up front and clarify that you were rescuing me, not kidnapping me."

"If that's what you want to think," he laughed. Kagami reached for her hand, weaving his fingers in between hers before giving a tug.

The first thing he did was buy her cotton candy, then put her on the merry go round, holding her around the waist while her legs dangled off the side of a white stallion trimmed in gold frills and finery. When they were done, they walked around a bit and Sakura insisted on doing it all again, starting with the same carousel.

"It's been so long since I've been here last," he offered up sounding absent, almost like he was lost in thought when speaking. Sakura watched his face set against the spinning landscape as they rotated on the carousel. 

"When was the last time you were here?" Kagami hummed a short little laugh.

"Oh, I was a boy at the time, maybe barely twelve. I came with my cousins and the rest of my family. It was one place the elders could bring us that was sure to tire a bunch of adolescents out."

"The elders?" Kagami blinked and then looked up at her, as if realizing he said something unusual. 

"Most of our parents were killed during the syndicate struggles. Many of the Uchiha boys were raised together by a couple of elders." Sakura wondered if that meant he was raised alongside Shisui and Itachi. He said he knew Shisui 

"What about any Uchiha girls?" she asked instead, trying to sound light. Sakura made a mistake. Instead of cracking another joke, Kagami's eyes grew darker. 

"The girls were also killed. That's something monsters will do when trying to wipe out a rival clan or gang. Because we're so long lived, wars can go on for generations, and it's to their benefit if we don't have females that can breed offspring. We've learned since then to guard our women jealously." Sakura didn't miss how he leaned in closer, keeping his hands close but still respectfully apart from her body. 

"Is that why you were asking if I cared that you were in your uniform?" she asked.

Even without his badge or hat or gun, it was easy to tell what he was if you looked at what was left for long enough. Already, Sakura had noticed more than one pair of eyes linger on Kagami like he was someone to be cautious around.

"Please believe me, the last thing I would want to do is to drag you into anything the Uchiha are a part of. I don't think there's a risk of that here, and I've been very careful so far. There shouldn't be any reason for you to attract danger, but… we are Uchiha." The Uchiha male looked up at her with wide eyes.

"True."

Sakura felt heat flash on her wrist underneath the rune written to warn her of potential- but not promised- danger. When she turned around on her saddle, Shisui was leaning up against the flank of a dark black stallion trimmed in silver. He wore his uniform boldly, badge and all. His thumbs were hooked into the belt around his waist, tugged down enough to be suggestive. Kagami tensed from beside Sakura.

"Shisui, what are you doing here?" The younger Uchiha smiled innocently.

"A fella can't enjoy a place for old time's sake? I might have been thinking the same thing as you." His eyes shifted towards Sakura. "Or maybe I wasn't."

"You're supposed to still be on the clock. What are you doing not working?" Shisui all but rolled his eyes.

"Do you ever get tired of being such a goody-two-shoes? My partner can take an hour for himself. We'll patrol when we're ready. The killer we're stalking has burrowed deep and we've nothing to go on until our boys crack his code."

"Killer?" Sakura couldn't help but feel excitement. She was messed up somewhere, but in this dream world she knew that a killer meant something to her narrative. There was a reason she was supposed to be at this pier. There was a reason she was hearing about this killer.

"That's not something you should be discussing so carelessly." Kagami cursed low under his breath. Shisui just grinned, eyes snapping back to land on Sakura, like she was metal and his gaze a magnet. 

"New York is always going to have crime, angel. Don't worry your pretty little head over it. Obito is looking into it."

Kagami flinched and Sakura knew why. Obito was looking into something with Kakashi and now she knew what it was. A killer was out and about and Kakashi thought it worth his time to pursue.

"Speaking of Obito…" Shisui pushed off his horse to stand on the other side of Sakura's, bringing his body as close to hers as Kagami's had been. "You're his little songbird, or so I hear. Seeing Kagami here is the kicker, since I knew he'd been hooked on some sweet thing for weeks. I didn't know it was worth fishing for till I heard you at the Witch's apartments." Something made him swallow and reach for another breath. "You'll be singing tonight."

"You're supposed to be watching Madara's establishment along with Itachi," Kagami cut in, snaking an arm around the saddle Sakura sat on. His eyes were hard as they tracked Shisui.

"Itachi can manage himself well enough for one night." Shisui didn't look away from Sakura. "You'll sing tonight, right?" Kagami crossed around and laid his arm flag against his cousin's chest, pushing Shisui back.

"Seven bodies and you're still not taking this seriously. Even the Bloody Irish are getting jittery, but you just want to play. Even if it doesn't interest Madara, you're still wearing that badge. Do your job."

Shisui wilted a bit under that chastisement. It wasn't by much, but Shisui was younger and Sakura didn't doubt that had something to do with his cavalier, devil may care sort of attitude he sported in comparison to Kagami or Itachi.

The merry go round began to slow. One last rotation was all it had left before the ride was over.

"Shisui." He looked at her when she called his name. "I know it can be unpleasant work, but someone very close to me is involved with tracking down this killer. I don't know how much I'm allowed to worry, but I'll thank you for what you've done already before asking for anything more. Do your best, and tonight I'll sing a song for you."

"Really?"

The merry go round eased into a stop, jolting a bit at the last second. Kagami let go of his cousin and reached for Sakura's hand, helping her to climb down off her horse. Her smile would have been thanks enough, but she uttered the words as well, knowing it was the polite thing to do.

Looking to Shisui once more over Kagami's shoulder Sakura nodded her affirmation. 

"Of course. But please do your best with this case."

Shisui could do nothing but agree, having already been won over before she ever offered him a song. Sakura saw something set off reactions in Kagami's expressions as the older Uchiha looked away. He hadn't admitted to it before when they talked about Shisui, but it felt like the two Uchiha were closer than either cared to admit. There were invisible bones between them that they were not even aware of themselves, but Sakura could see them. Like Shisui and Itachi had been connected in the first world, these Uchiha were a pair of sorts.

The things Uchiha felt were easier and easier to read, Sakura thought. Maybe it was because she was the dreamer, and maybe it was because she was already self aware, but the actors felt more like people she had always known and not strangers. It was easy being with some of them.

The older Uchiha drove Sakura back, dropping her off before Kakashi ever came back, promising to take Sakura back to the pier for a full day of exploring once things weren't so hectic. 'A day without Shisui,' he added before driving off to change at his apartment and return at a later hour.

Sakura saw to dressing herself and fixing her hair in wavy curls to frame her face nicely. She painted her lips and dusted her face before clasping the sleeveless silver mermaid style dress around her breasts, holding her breath while she fastened the hooks down her back. She was having trouble securing the last few hooks at the top when she heard a knock. She recognized Kakashi's way of knocking.

"Come in!" she called, keeping her back to the door. Kakashi stepped in and then froze, seeing a good bit of her back exposed. Before he could turn and leave, Sakura called out in a pitiful voice, "Please, I can't reach the last few."

Swallowing, Kakashi reached out and fastened the fabric around the hooks, tugging on the ends to bring them together. He murmured an apology, asking if he hurt her. Sakura just shook her head and laughed. 

"I don't think you could hurt me even if you tried."

"I wouldn't," he agreed. Sakura turned around to face him, recognizing something in his tone.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing worth worrying about," he tried to chuckle. Sakura knew better, and reached out to hold his face between her hands. She wouldn't let him look away from her.

"You were helping Obito track a killer. Why didn't you tell me?" Before he could open his mouth to ask her how she knew that, she beat him to it with her answer. "I heard it from Kagami when he stopped in earlier. You and Obito went out, so he took me to the pier."

There was a pause between her words and his reply, but he opened his mouth to speak before the air became stale between them.

"Ah, you got tired of waiting for me and snuck out on your own. Sorry, that is my fault. I should have paid more attention to your needs." He looked her over once more before adding, "I see you're okay, at least. You're here." Now Sakura started to feel guilty. 

"You do nothing but pay attention to my needs. You shouldn't feel bad for trying to help Obito, but I wish you would have told me. What were you guys trying to do today?"

"They think they had an article from one of the kidnappers and wanted to see if my dogs could track it, but we hit water and couldn't do anything more."

"A kidnapper? I thought you were hunting a murderer. Kagami said something about bodies."

"Our killer targets only monsters, and then kidnaps them. Days, sometimes weeks, later we find the bodies. Many are stripped of their defining properties, like trophies. One of the first victims recovered was a seer and she was missing her tongue. You should be extra cautious as well. Mermaid tail is rumored to provide eternal life."

Sakura's eyes widened, her mouth parted ready for a question but Kakashi beat her to it.

"I promised I'd keep you safe, remember?" Sakura felt off kilter for a moment. 

"Wait…" she said, still processing his words. "Mermaid?" Kakashi kissed the crown of her head.

"You'll knock 'em dead tonight, kid."

Numbly, she heard music and knew it was one of her early cues to get set up. They were starting and needed her out there, but she felt stiff, unable to move. Kakashi took her by the elbow, guiding her to her set before slipping away. The music slowed and the lights went down.

The important thing was that she needed to sing. Singing was important, it was the role she was given, she needed to sing. Sakura felt the thoughts echo in her mind, drowning out her earlier confusion. She'd ask Kakashi about it later, maybe he meant something else. The audience was cheering. Someone had just called her name.

When she stepped out to sing, she saw the Uchiha cousins at a table in the back, but in addition to the pair, Hayate sat in a front seat at a table with only a decanter of merlot. Sakura couldn't help but grimace at his appearance. He raised his glass and smiled at her. Her wrist began to burn underneath the bracelet links.

It was too loud to hear him, but she could read Hayate's lips from where she stood on the stage.

'Now things can get started.'

The back of the room closest to the road burst into flames. An explosion rocked the foundations, and Sakura was thrown from the stage. Something hit her head, and she felt wetness. She was on her side, staring through the smoke and rubble.

'Ow…ow…I can feel that…'

There had been an explosion from the outside. Something had happened like this before, way back, earlier. She thought it had been Pein, but Pein said he wouldn't attack them after what she did for Nagato. It wasn't Pein this time. There were other things slipping in through the hole left in the wall.

A few patrons were dead, laying in their own burned flesh beside piles of rubble. A few crawled away, but only two stayed standing. Shisui and Kagami stood beside one another, each sporting a pair of massive black wings that trailed off into tongues of fire at the ends. Kagami had a pair of horns perturbing from his hairline and Shisui bared his fangs and flexed his claws. Both were looking at the new opening.

Someone came behind her to pick her up and she smelled Kakashi's scent.

There were monsters coming in from outside.

She was a monster too.

She looked up and saw the lupine features of her manager come into sharp prominence. There was red running down his face and dirt smudged across the bridge of his nose. He looked like something feral and wild.

_ Ah yes, this was the kingdom of monsters after all. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The greatest of all thanks to nightmarenip for being the best beta in the kingdom! Please spread that thanks!


	7. Kingdom Gone

A great while ago, when the world was full of wonders...dark wonders.

**OBELISK:**

**Kingdom of Monsters**

**Kingdom Gone**

* * *

"We will be monsters, alone in the world, but we will have each other."

\-  Mary Shelley, Frankenstein.

* * *

Sakura woke into the real world cursing, knowing her wounds had followed her through the dream.

When her friends called, she told them a story about a killer headache, and no one questioned her further.

When she could, Sakura washed her stained pillowcase and drove herself to the urgent care for stitches, making up some story about falling down the stairs while outside. Her cut wasn't bad enough that the nurse thought necessary to call Sakura on her lie, and for that the girl was grateful.

She would be fine in a few days. Until then, her bangs could hide the rest. With a prescription for painkillers, Sakura retired to bed early.

She came back suddenly, recognizing the interior of Obito's home. Her hand moved to the side of her head for the scar that she had examined in the waking world. The blood on her pillow would have been a pain to explain if anyone had been around when she climbed out of bed.

In this dream world, her head was bandaged well and the pillow she slept on was left unstained. The head wound wasn't serious, it just looked ugly. The bed was actually really nice, now that she bothered to take in her surroundings a bit more. She wasn't in the apartment room across the street, she was in Obito's home. She had only ever been here once before, to help Rin carry things in and play hide and seek with Tobi.

Why had she been brought here?

Sakura turned over in bed, pushing the thick white sheets away from her lap. Something must have happened last night beyond the explosion. Shisui and Kagami had both been there, standing among the rubble with wings tipped in flames like something unholy out of her girlhood stories. They were monsters, but beyond that, they were devilishly beautiful standing among the smoke and flames. No wonder angels fell.

A creaking groan from behind her, forcing Sakura to look back over her shoulder at the door to her room. It was open a crack and a small face was pressed into the space between the door and the frame. Tobi probably thought he was being sneaky. Seeing Sakura sitting up, the small Uchiha gasped before dashing into the room, heading for the foot of her bed. Reaching his destination, he grabbed the sheets and threw them up enough so he could burrow under them, wiggling around like a soldier in the trenches till he popped out next to her in bed.

"You're awake!" he chirped. Sakura felt warmed by his innocent smile. Scooting back down, Sakura laid her head back onto her pillow and pulled the covers back up. 

"I'm awake," she echoed. "Were you waiting for me?"

"Mommy said not to wake you because you got a boo boo on your brain." His eyes went to the white cloth wrapped around her head. "Does it still hurt?"

"Not really," she replied, touching the folds. "It wasn't as bad as it looked, I'm sure. Head wounds always bleed a lot, but suffering brain trauma is more dangerous."

"…Sakura?" Tobi hesitantly called out to her. When she looked back at him, he had pulled the cover to hide half his face. "Are you going to marry Kakashi?"

"Eh?" The question threw her for a loop. "Where did that come from? Why would you ask that?" Tobi shrugged. 

"He was loud and woke Tobi up last night. He was carrying you and holding you like daddy holds mommy and crying. I've never seen my daddy cry over my mommy, 'scept once when my baby sister wasn't born." He didn't say anything for a while, waiting for Sakura to respond, but when she didn't answer right away he became impatient and started talking again. "If you marry a man you become a grown up, and then you can't play with me, so no!"

Sakura laughed, pressing the back of her knuckles to her lips. Tobi's cheeks turned red at her reaction. He pulled the blankets up over his head, hiding underneath the layers of white. Sakura kept her laugh behind her lips, scooting forward to find the little boy under her bed sheets and pull him up against her chest to tickle his neck and face. Tobi squealed loud, squirming, making Sakura laugh again. He recovered quickly and went to tickle her face just like she had his. When that didn't work, he tried squeezing her to death with his 'macho man hugs' that stressed her ribcage.

"Tobi!" Rin nearly screamed from the doorway. Her son froze instantly, face draining of color. "What do you think you are doing, young man?"

"Save me, Sakura!" he exclaimed, letting her go and burrowing under the sheets closest to her to hide. Rin's expression paled a little as her eyebrows rose in a show of sympathy. 

"I'm so sorry Sakura. He wasn't supposed to disturb your rest."

"I was already awake, and I appreciate the company." Sakura reached under the bedsheets to poke at Tobi's face. She couldn't see where she was poking, but she knew it was his face because he reached out and licked her, trying to gross her out and get her hand away. Sakura wiped her wet finger on his shirt and he loudly complained, making both his mother and Sakura chuckle.

"We just had lunch. If you're hungry, I'll have the help bring something up." Rin looked pointedly at the lump that was her sun under all the bedsheets. "Obito, you better not make any trouble for Sakura or it's extra cleaning for you."

"I won't!" The bedsheets shook in reply.

"I'm actually not that hungry, but I'd greatly appreciate some water," Sakura said, brushing some stray strands of her messy hair from her line of vision. With her bandages it was hard to keep her hair in check.

Rin nodded in acknowledgment before leaving the two of them alone with the door only partly closed. Once he could hear the fading footsteps of his mother, Obito's son poked his head out and grinned.

"Is she gone?" Sakura grinned.

"You're in the clear, kid." Tobi breathed an over exaggerated sigh of relief.

"Good. I don't want another spanking."

Sakura pulled back some of the covers around them and noticed black feathers stuck between the bed sheets that weren't there before. She picked up one, holding it between her fingertips and turning it slightly in the light.

"Mom says I'll have a brilliant plumage. Wanna see?" Before she could answer Tobi was wriggling out of his shirt, struggling to get it over his head. Underneath his fabric top, Sakura saw two black shapes growing out from between his shoulder blades. Tobi finally got his head clear of the hole at the neck of his shirt and flexed his baby wings.

"How lovely." Sakura breathed shakily, remembering the night she saw Kagami and Shisui with their wings out. One day Tobi would look like that too. Did Obito also have wings? He must if he was also an Uchiha.

"I'll be able to fly in a few years. Kakashi doesn't have wings. He won't be able to fly." Tobi beamed with pride, turning around to show his wings off from a different angle. "I can show off my wings when I'm home, but not what I'm outside, because humans will see me and that's bad. That's why uncle Kagami has to hide his wings, mom says. Did you see them?" Sakura swallowed, remembering the heat and the fire that tipped the ends of his wings.

"I did."

"Weren't they handsome? I want mine to breathe fire too." Tobi sighed heavily with longing in his eyes. 

He looked up when he heard a maid knock and yelled for her to come in before Sakura could. The woman bowed with her eyes downcast before moving to set a tray down at the foot of the bed where Sakura could reach it, bowing again and leaving the way she came, never once lifting her eyes. If she had, what would Sakura have seen?

Sakura took a bit of a piece of toast to be polite, but drank greedily. Beside her, Tobi picked at the cheese danishes and pouted cutely when it didn't look like Sakura was going to finish soon enough for his tastes. He was too young to know how to wait very long.

"I have a big house. You wanna see it?" Sakura looked up, a finger on her lips catching the excess water and wiping it away. Seeing he had her attention again Tobi went on. "It has secret rooms I sometimes use to spy on daddy's friends, but I'll show them to you."

"Who would you spy on?" Sakura asked around a breath that sounded like a laugh coming from her.

"My uncles are still here," he offered with a shrug. "And I think Kakashi too."

Spying did sound fun, especially if she was in an Uchiha house where Shisui and Kagami were still hanging out. It felt like something she should do. Sakura looked down at what she was wearing, a fancy high collar victorian style nightgown that choked her neck and wrists with details of lace. It would be bad if she got it dirty, but she didn't see anything else she could change into.

She looked up, prepared to say no, but a look from Tobi had her convinced she would be committing a mortal sin if she said anything but yes, so she sighed and nodded. 

"Okay, but we have to be careful. I don't want to get my nightgown dirty since it's not mine."

"You don't have to worry about that. You can have it, we have others, and daddy can buy more with his money."

"It's still good manners to be responsible with the things you have so you don't have to be wasteful." Sakura gathered the ends of her thin, white gown up and slid from the bed. "So, where do we go now?"

Tobi looked positively impish when he grinned. He didn't bother grabbing his shirt or putting it back on, electing to leave it behind like any willful child would. Sakura couldn't help but remember doing something similar with her pants in the summertime when she was that young.

Sakura knew the Uchiha manor was large from what little she saw of it previously, but as Tobi led her deeper and deeper down the hallways, she began to understand just how wealthy the Uchiha actually were. Obito must make excellent money at the restaurant, but she doubted it was enough to afford all this. That meant business on the side.

Occasionally, Tobi would stop by a grate down by the floor and listen before grumbling and take off running again till he found the next one. Eventually, he stumbled upon one that sparked his interest because he gasped and looked up at her with a bright smile. 

"I found them," he whispered loudly, forgetting how to be quiet. A moment later, he was peeling the wall back with his fingernails and a passage opened up for the pair of them to slip through. As Sakura suspected, it was dirty, but not so much that it would leave stains she couldn't pat out of her gown.

It was a narrow hallway leading to an opening that was large enough for the pair to sit down on the floor once they reached the dead end. With the door shut behind them, both monsters were left in darkness until Tobi found the latch on the floor that opened the grate enough for them to see light and hear voices. Sakura caught the flash of his smile and reached out to ruffle Tobi's hair, praising him wordlessly.

There were four men in the room that she recognized, but a fifth figure sat in a leather chair in the corner, smoking quietly while the other four males conversed among themselves. Sakura strained to see who the fifth man was, but her vision was limited thanks to the small size of the grate.

Obito leaned against a bookshelf while Kakashi paced in front of both Kagami and Shisui. They all looked agitated about something and Kakashi must have just said something biting because Shisui snapped.

"Hey, there was no evidence leading anyone on my team to believe Obito's place was a target! The last attack was coincidental and had an explanation, no one expected last night to have happened!"

"But it did happen," Kagami added softly, "and there is no way we can avoid it anymore. They were there because they were targeting monsters. The ones we killed were recognizable enough. They were shades, just like the ones killed on the Sarutobi estate."

"It was Sakura they were after. It was a mistake bringing her down here." Kakashi cursed again. Kagami shook his head.

"The last two victims were both children, around Tobi's age. There was also the incident at the park. They could have been looking for him, he would have been an easier target."

"That doesn't make sense with attacking the restaurant," Kakashi retorted. "Sakura's advertised there. People go because they know she's going to be there to sing. Also, her classification is rare. Even if there wasn't a decapitating serial killer on the loose, mermaids have been historically hunted and butchered by humans for centuries."

"That's why we don't advertise our true natures," Shisui hissed, adapting a bored tone that made it sound like he thought Kakashi was an idiot.

"Either way," Kagami inserted himself physically, between the two by standing in the center of the room. "We should keep the both of them out of the public's eye for a while before we can make any progress on the killer."

"Or use them as bait."

All four males turned to look at the fifth figure with mirrored expressions of rage and disgust. Obito was the one who snapped first. 

"Tobi is my son! You're asking me to risk the one of the two most precious people in my life."

"Sakura's not like any of us." Kakashi added. "On land she's near defenseless, and not someone to ever be treated with such disregard for her own well being. I won't allow it."

Sakura craned her neck, trying to see who the mysterious figure was that had suggested using her and Tobi as bait. It wasn't a voice she recognized from any of the previous kingdoms. 

"Last night's attack was a show, nothing more, nothing less. None of the other kidnappings were so messy. The enemy was testing its boundaries with the Uchiha. It will be back again. That is inevitable."

"Tobi will be safe here, with his mother," Obito said. Sakura looked up to see if she could read the boy's expressions, but he was just as engrossed as she, making it hard to gauge his reactions. Was he scared? They were talking about him so easily, not knowing he was hearing every word spoken.

"What about Sakura?" Kagami asked, looking to Kakashi and then to Obito. "The restaurant is undergoing repairs, and will be closed for a while. Where will you take her?"

"Far away from here, back to Chicago if I have to." Oddly enough, it was Kakashi's words that made Tobi flinch.

"There's no need for that," Shisui said, speaking up. "She can fulfill her end of the contract at Madara's. Itachi, myself and Izuna will be there to provide enough deterrent for a frontal attack. No one would dare touch her there."

"Madara is just as dangerous," Kakashi growled, his subtle hackles rising.

"Madara hasn't killed anyone so close to him in years," Shisui breathed with another roll of his eyes. "And Sakura's precious. You'd be crazy to think he'd want to ever hurt her."

"I'm not worried about him killing her," Kakashi replied, his tone low. "Madara has a hard time with the concept of 'no' and that makes business negotiations difficult. I won't endanger Sakura in such a manner."

"Madara may have his fascinations, and yeah, he can be a bit on the obsessive side, but I don't see why you're so tight in the pants about this," Shisui huffed.

"You haven't heard her sing yet," Kagami added softly, looking to his younger cousin. "At least not truly." Shisui huffed.

"And don't think I'm not pissed about that. My night off and the work still follows me."

"It wouldn't be able to follow you if it was dead," Kagami sighed. "We should be back out in the field. My partner and I go on in the next hour, I'll catch him up on what happened last night as best I can."

"Wait, what about Sakura?" Shisui asked. "If you're not going to take her to Madara, then where else could she go?" Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest, his expression sour.

"Pein and his family have offered safe haven, but Obito and I thought it best to keep her here with Tobi for a while longer. Still, while Rin watches them I'm going out with Obito again to see if we can pick up a trail."

"If that is all you've decided…" the unknown figure took a step closer to Sakura's range of vision. She saw the bottom half of his sharp suit and his richly polished Italian leather shoes. He was something who was well to do, even more so than Obito. "I'll return to my brother and update him on the details of this encounter. We'll take retaliatory measures the instant you secure a target for us, Shisui, but please don't keep us waiting."

Before Sakura could get a proper look at his face, the figure turned and exited out a side door, giving her only a glimpse of his tousled black hair reaching down past his shoulders. With his exit, the others would soon be leaving. Sakura reached across to touch Tobi and the young boy flinched.

"We should go," she whispered, nodding away from the grade towards the exit. He looked disappointed, but nodded, following her leave. The pair made it back to her room without incident, but Sakura noticed their breakfast was gone, meaning someone would know she wasn't in the room with Tobi for a time. In place of the food, a folded dress sat at the end of the bed, as well as some hosiery she would have to put on if she didn't want to be rude.

"Tobi, I have to change my clothes now, so you have to leave for a little bit."

Tobi made a face but nodded, reaching across the bed to grab his discarded shirt. Taking it with him, the young boy slipped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. It took Sakura a grand total of two minutes to slip on the dress and do up all the buttons, but much longer to fit into the stockings. It would have been so much easier to imagine stockings on her body, but Hayate's curse prevented even this. Gone were the days she could dream up dresses and accessories. In addition to her guns and swords, nothing was within her power to manifest.

When she opened the door to her hallway, Tobi was still there, playing with the ends of his shirt, clearly not pleased with the idea of having to wear it again. He looked up quickly after hearing her. 

"Will you play hide and seek with me now."

"I should talk with Kakashi first, see what he has to say. Once I'm done, I'll come find you, promise." Tobi nodded, not exactly pleased, but resigned to the decision. He did a good job in keeping his pouting to a minimum. 

"I'm gonna go get my toys."

Watching him go in the opposite direction, Sakura ran a hand through her hair, being gentle with her head wound, trying to seem put together before going down the stairs and seeking out Kakashi. She didn't know where he would be, but she had a feeling she would be able to at least ask someone to help her find her manager.

She found an old servant's staircase and was about to slip down when a hand from the shadows reached out to grab her wrist. The runes around her wrist flickered once but didn't burn- a potential threat, but there was no real danger. A second hand clamped down on her mouth before dragging her against a solid chest, folded in between shadows. Sakura looked up, eyes wide, to see a pair of hypnotically spinning red orbs. Shisui smirked and then let his hand fall from her lips, fingers trailing sensually down over her lip and jaw to rest around her neck. She didn't forget about his other hand and how it hung dangerously on her hip, long fingers spread out to bunch up the fabric of her dress. She felt heat in her cheeks and knew she was flushed.

"Sh-shisui!"

"Shhhhh,” he whispered into her hair, nuzzling his nose against the shell of her ear before kissing it. "Don't scream, it's just me."

"You're holding me- l-l-let me go."

"I'm hiding you in the shadows. I can't let you go till you hear what I have to say. It's about our killer." Sakura stilled, willing to wait in his grasp to hear whatever it is he wanted to say. 

"What about your killer?"

"Kakashi won't tell you, he wants to protect you from the truth, but you should know that we believe you might be one of his targets." It was the same information she had overheard. The fact that he was sharing it with her meant something.

"You haven't caught him yet, though."

"We have strong leads. I'm leaving in an hour, same as Kagami and the others. Kakashi will be out as well, his nose is something we can use. You'll be left behind, but I have a favor to ask you." He turned her slightly around, so that she could look up at him without straining her neck so much, but he still kept her pressed against him. "Tobi was another potential target. Please stick with him and keep an eye on the kid. He likes to hide and slip away from nannies, but he'll be fond of you."

"You think he's in danger too?" she asked, watching to see his reactions. She already knew Tobi was another possible target, but she wanted to know what that meant to Shisui, who was also an Uchiha. Did he share a bond with his family that was worth recognizing?

"We don't know anything for sure, but we're close. We'll have this bastard within a week, tops. Until then, sit tight. I'm still waiting on my song from you." He kissed her neck, squeezing her hip and cradling her head before he was nothing but shadows behind her.

Just like she expected, Kakashi found her in a few minutes and explained the situation, sugarcoating that parts about suspecting her or Tobi as targets. He explained why they needed him to help track down the killer and then swore he would be back as soon as possible. Until then, she should play with Tobi, because that poor boy gets lonely too easily. She agreed and waved him off, feeling only a little let down that he hadn't been completely honest with her.

Next, she sought out Rin and thanked her for the breakfast before asking after Tobi. Apparently, the young Uchiha left some of his toys at the restaurant and had gone back with the family driver to pick the toys up. If Sakura left with Bull, who Kakashi had left behind to guard her again, Sakura could go meet Tobi and bring him back.

The house was a block and a half away from the restaurant, nearly in walking distance, and all the land in between was retail property that Obito Uchiha owned. Even with fear of night time attackers, Sakura felt safe enough to travel from one familiar destination to the other. Apparently it was something Tobi did near daily if his father let him.

When Sakura arrived she found the restaurant in better state than she remembered it. The one wall was caved in, but the fire had done less damage than she first assumed. Stepping over the rubble with Bull at her heels, she heard Tobi talking excitedly in the kitchen, either with Darui or the Uchiha driver.

"Tobi," Sakura called, heading towards the kitchen.

"Sakura, come and see the new toys!" He sounded so excited it was enough to make her chuckle. 

"New toys. What new toys?" she asked, pushing the door back. Tobi was on the floor with a plastic dinosaur set, and crouch over him was a man of medium build dressed in a driver's uniform. The driver looked up and smiled at Sakura, straightening and pushing up his glasses.

"You must be Sakura," Kabuto greeted with a cherry smile.

Sakura's wrist was burning, and she knew why. Even without the runes, she knew Kabuto was bad news. She remembers how Deidara nearly ran him over with his car and still the silver haired demon fought to destroy her friends. She couldn't forget her hate from that night, for both him and his master. It must have shown on her face, because his smile faltered and fell off completely.

"S-Sakura? You're making a scary face," Tobi said, sounding frightened. Sakura felt sick and wanted to double over and puke, but she wouldn't. 

"Tobi, get away from that man and stay behind me."

She reached out to grab Tobi, who still looked confused, but Kabuto was faster. Tobi screamed and Sakura lunged, forgetting she was weaponless. Her fist was justice when she heard Bull yelp and felt the wires snap around her body. They were tight and her neck started to bleed.

"Bull, get Kakashi!" she screamed. When she couldn't hear movement she struggled to turn her head, but the wires wouldn't let her. "Bull?" Tobi was crying, his eyes wide and his face pale. Sakura didn't want to know what he saw. 

"Bastard," she choked, already feeling the tears in her eyes. She should have known this was a bad idea. It wasn't even an hour since the scouting parties left. She hadn't thought the tables would turn this quickly. Her eyes gravitated to Tobi, looking traumatized by whatever sight was behind her.

"Let him go, put him to sleep or tie him up, but let him go. You can't take both of us, and I'm worth more. You touch him and the Uchiha will be on you with a vengeance you haven't yet seen."

"Maa, I'm not planning on sticking around long enough for the Uchiha to hear about this, but you're wrong about not being able to take more than one." Kabuto pushed up his glasses again. "I learned this trick from a necromancer who liked puppets, in case you were wondering. The wires are coated in poison, you'll be out cold in another minute." He stepped closer to her, dragging a limp Tobi by the arm. "But I want to know how you knew to hate me. I hadn't planned on taking either of you so soon, but you knew, didn't you? How was that?"

Sakura felt tony mouths entering her blood where the wires tore her skin open. She was being devoured bit by bit. His poison was working through her and she couldn't fight it this time. Not in this world. Stupid, she should have asked Kakashi to stay with her, or someone. She was useless here. Kabuto was right in front of her face now, watching for a reaction. With what little power she had left, she sucked her lips in and spit on his face. 

"I've known you in a past life and I'll know you in the next. You're always a monster!"

Kabuto didn't bother with the spit on his jaw as it slid off. She was already starting to fade and he intended to watch her slip from waking into sleep.

"You shouldn't worry about your next life just yet. I haven't decided when or where to kill you in this one."

######  _ "The heart of another is a dark forest." _

######  _ Ivan Turgenev, from "A Month in the Country" _

_ Poppies, poppies, poppies, too many poppies. _

It was a herculean feat in itself to wake up in the morning and move to the shower to start the rest of her waking hours in the realm of living, when all she could think about was how she was going to die once she fell asleep again.

Her body was numb as she flew through the motions of mindless data entry and driving from one client to the next. She had doubled up, and she was grateful for the volume of work because it helped her stay together as the hours passed. If she didn't have something for her hands to work with, she was sure she would have screamed and gone into a fit from panic. It was one of the hardest things she did in the real world.

Time didn't feel real to her. She was both absent and hyper present in every moment. The day felt like it lasted forever and flew at the same time. After doing something like recording a journal entry, she would go back and double check again and again to make sure it was entered, not remembering the details of the things she did on auto pilot. It would have been much worse if she wasn't already as good as she was at her job. For the rest of the day, time was something she could not feel.

Sakura didn't want to go to the Orchard and put it off till the end, but the work was piling up and she knew better. Even in the dark pits of her being she knew what duty and commitment felt like and remembered how to push herself all the way to the back office.

Sitting down in her office chair, she decided she would catch them up but not get everything that needed to be done wrapped up. It meant another, shorter trip tomorrow or the day after, but it was already too late in the day and Sakura didn't want to be around when it got busy, even though avoiding Yamato wasn't something she actively did anymore.

If anything, Yamato was actually one of her closer friends now. Since the Ren Fest, she had gotten over her anxiety around him enough that they could text each other things and hang out and talk about stuff whenever they were in each other's company. She had said early on that she wasn't looking for anything and he was kind enough to pretend he didn't know about her mental breakdown when he said he understood. As if that was all it took, Sakura felt better around him again.

As if the thought of him was enough of a summons, the taller brunette with an easy smile poked his head into the office just as she had finished running the profit and loss reports. She looked up to see him grinning at her from the doorway. He had been warned by his boss not to bother her too much and was hesitant to step in unless explicitly invited.

"Can you please pass me the P&L reports?" Sakura asked, holding out her hand expectantly.

He nodded once before running over to the printer and pulling off the new, warm sheets. Sakura never moved out of her seat to take the reports from him as he came to her. 

"Here you go," he said, handing them off.

She accepted them with a tired hum and a weak smile before pulling down the red folder that she always had ready at the end of her visits. She hadn't meant to sound like anything other than normal, but something must have tipped Yamato off.

He frowned, crossing his arms and leaning against her desk in a way that let her know he had no intention of leaving anytime soon. 

"Is something up?" She sent him a confused look, her eyes wide and questioning. "You're tired and your face looks pale. When did you last eat?"

"I had both breakfast and lunch today," she lied easily enough, remembering how the taste of both her sandwich and salad met resistance in her throat, tasting like pillows and cotton.

All she could manage to keep down was her liquids, and she had plenty of liquids. To the left of the computer, on a separate branch of the desk, she kept her Dunkin Doughnuts cup and the 44oz Freeze Buster from the gas station. Both were dry and both would be replaced with something new on the drive home. It was her worst habit.

Yamato eyed her empty cups and picked up both to toss into the trash across the room. 

"I'll make you a tea before you leave, so don't go without it like last time."

"You make me feel weird if I don't pay for it."

"What, you think we all pay for all the stuff we sample?" he laughed. "You're an employee here, it's one of the perks. Don't feel weird and just accept it this time. I mean, at least you're not Genma. Drinks are easy to sample, but he's always going after our baked goods before we have to change them out, and we're often short on baked goods, so he's an ass who properly gets yelled at."

"Your baked goods are really good though, and he's so skinny you would think he never eats." Yamato laughed and Sakura frowned, not knowing what she said that was so funny. 

"Oh he's sensitive about his weight, so you need to say that to his face sometime and pretend to be all innocent about it, that'll make him so mad."

"You want me to piss of Genma? What'll he do to me?"

"Oh but that's the best part, because he can't do anything to you. If I said something he'd stick a toothpick in my ass or something, but no one can be mad at you. You're too sweet to get angry at."

"I am not!" Sakura snapped, faster than she meant to. "Why would you say that?" Yamato just laughed again. 

"You probably think you're such a badass, don't you?" She could feel her face heat up. 

"I am a badass! I drive a station wagon and fight people! What do you mean I'm sweet?"

Yamato just laughed harder. He pushed off the edge of the desk and leaned out of the room into the hallway, calling up to the front. 

"Becky, Sakura thinks she's a badass!" 

There was laughter from the front, and Sakura's pale face turned even redder. 

"You guys!"

Yamato skipped out, laughing along the way to set up a tea for her, just the way she liked it in the summertime. Sweet Georgia Peach wasn't their most popular iced tea, but it was the one Sakura favored whenever it came into season, and Yamato had noticed. By the time Sakura was finished closing out the account, he was back with her drink. Setting it down in front of her, he took up his earlier position, leaning against her desk, eyeing her.

"So, what is it that's got you so worked up?" She took a long pull from her drink, looking up through widespread lashes. He narrowed his gaze. "You're not sleeping or eating."

"I'm fine."

"I think I've known you long enough to know when you're deflecting."

"You haven't even known me a year."

"Almost, though. We met when you came in as a designated driver at the end of the peach tea season."

"…That's how you remember it?"

"Drinks are my business, of course I would remember."

Sakura shifted in her seat, tapping the end of the yellow and orange straw against the top row of her teeth. Her breath tasted like sugar in her mouth. She had been sustained the entire day on sugar. This would kill her in a few years, with her luck. 

"I've just been having some stupid, stressful dreams and I let them get to me. It's a phase, I'll blow through it." 

'Or I wont.'

Yamato let go of the arms he kept crossed over his chest and folded them in front of his lap, changing his posture to be more suited to their conversation. He was grateful to her for opening up to him, knowing it was a privilege. 

"Why do you think you're having such stressful dreams? Has anything major changed in your life?" His voice was soft. It was the kind of voice someone used with a startled animal.

Sakura knew the reason for her nightmares better than she knew what would happen if she started telling people her truth. She wasn't oblivious to the concern of people who knew the history of her lineage, of her father, and of her mother. Her words would always be measured when talking about her mental health.

Every so often, maybe once in a month since the Kingdom of Man, she would doubt the validity of her experiences. Maybe it really was all a dream. Maybe it never really happened. There was no way something like a curse could exist inside of her, but doubting made her weak, and weakness would make her dead, so she knew by now that regardless of whether or not the dream world was an actual thing or something made up inside of her psychotic mind, she would believe it and live in it as well as she could.

"I don't know. Um, recently an old friend has come back into my life, but it's a bit more complicated than just saying she's a friend. We used to be best friends and then we parted on bad terms… like really bad terms. I don't think I've ever ended a relationship with someone so violently." She paused to shift in her seat, taking another sip. "She recently came back into my life and we're working to mend some things and be friends again. I don't trust her yet, but I want to forgive her." Yamato nodded, engaged and attentive.

"That's great. It sounds really mature of you and sounds a lot like something you would do. What do you think is bothering you?"

"Karin's my best friend, and I trust that bitch with my life. Karin and Ino, she's my old friend, do not get along… like, at all. They would kill each other on sight if Ino could fight. I've been keeping my relationship with Ino a secret from Karin, not on purpose, but I want to be sure about something before I say anything."

"What do you want to be sure about?"

"If I want to try and make it work with Ino the way she wants to make it work. Forgiveness was easier to give than trust, and I'm not ready to trust her again, but that's one of the things she wants. She wants what we used to have when we were younger."

As she admitted it, Sakura realized that the drama between her and the other two girls actually was something she was stressing about. She didn't stress about it to the point of anything in her dreams, she didn't fear for her life, but it was something that weighed heavily on her heart. She wanted friendship with both girls, but feared they were mutually exclusive. Maybe that was why she hadn't told Karin yet. She needed to set a date for that.

She groaned out loud, throwing a hand over her eyes and leaning back in the office chair.

"What am I going to do?"

"Do you think your friends care about you?"

"Yeah, that's not what I'm worried about. I think they're gonna kill each other." She didn't lift her hand from her eyes to answer him. 

"They won't if they care about you." Sakura lowered her hand and stared at Yamato. He grinned at her. "I don't know about this Ino girl, and I don't know Karin all that well, but I know Ami really values your friendship and is super jealous of the bond you have with Karin. That's something forged in blood. They're not going to let you down, so have a bit more faith in your friends. And hey, I'm not saying there won't be screaming and yelling and tears, but if it's what you say it is, I think it's worth the drama." Sakura grinned, closing her eyes and sitting up again. 

"That's easy for you to say," she breathed, letting her lungs deflate before looking up at him again. "Thanks. I'm going to go home now, but I'll see you later this week."

"Keep me updated?" Yamato asked, stepping away so that she could reach behind him and grab her purse. It came with a jingle caused by all the metal charms on her keychain shifting.

"I will. Thanks, that'll help keep me accountable." She shouldered her purse and tapped the straw of her drink to her bottom lip before smiling. "I'm going now."

When she slept that night, she was a little stronger and clearer of mind than she had been when the night prior. It looked bad, but she had dealt with worse, and this wouldn't be the end of her story.

She awoke in the dark. No surprise there. She shifted, trying to gauge what kind of environment she was in and felt metal around her wrists. Chain. Also no surprise. Of course she would be hidden away somewhere dark and dangerous-feeling, where she couldn't see anything that could give her a clue to her whereabouts. Wherever she was, she doubted it was somewhere easy to get to. Kabuto was a crafty little bastard, and all it took was a moment to see it.

" _ You shouldn't worry about your next life just yet. I haven't decided when or where to kill you in this one. _ "

She wanted to scream all over again. She had been stupid, really stupid. Stupid and unlucky. Kabuto had admitted to planning on taking either of them at a later date and time, but took them earlier when she gave away her fear. If she had seen him before, she would have known. If she had met the Uchiha's driver, she could have warned them sooner. If she had been smarter, sooner, luckier, she wouldn't have been alone when she faced him, and Bull might still be alive. Oh, poor Bull. Kakashi was going to be heartbroken.

Kakashi.

Where was he now? The search party that had picked up a trail took him as their leader. Was the scent they followed really something worth tracking, or had it been another brilliant ruse to lead them away and make the Uchiha house vulnerable again? She wouldn't doubt it.

Sakura turned again in the dark and tugged on her chains, trying to see how far she could go with them. She wasn't in a cellar like she expected, or a dark stony prison, but her cage was made from wood. When she touched the four walls she felt smooth wood under her fingertips and a door with a brass handle that was locked. She could barely reach it with her chains, which were looped through an iron ring in the floor. It felt like a closet more than a dungeon.

She couldn't reach the door with her hands, but she could kick it if she turned around and kept her arms stretched towards the ring in the floor. She was used to having powerful legs. She ran and did cardio and kept her body in decent shape even if she ate food that was terrible for her more often than not. In this world, her legs were thinner and weaker and paler.

Her eyes were adjusting to the darkness, but even so, the only light into the room came from under the door, and the edge was hardly wide enough to slip paper under. It was dark, and it was going to stay dark if she couldn't kick the door down. It was wood, not stone or steel, she should be able to break through if she kept at it.

It didn't take her long before her legs wobbled and she collapsed, tired and winded. She wasn't used to being so weak, and it irked her to no end. It wasn't enough that Hayate took away her weapons, he had to make her weaker than she already was. It wasn't fair.

She collapsed onto her side, cheek pressed against the cool wood floor. It smelled earthy still, and she wondered what kind of tree they used for the lumber before crying on it. Her legs hurt too much to try kicking again, but she moved them to bump against the door. It was all she could do.

Poor, sweet, Tobi was out there with Kabuto while she was stuck in a closet. Granted, she was glad Kabuto wasn't playing around with her, but it made her feel worse knowing that he had Tobi. What kind of sick bastard adducts children?

'When he grows up he'll become too strong for Kabuto to do anything. Now is when he is weakest.'

Sakura felt sick in the back of her throat when she remembered Kakashi talking to her about what happened to the people taken. The Uchiha were known for their 'devil eyes,' each member possessing a variation of the same cursed ability. Some could spark fires out of nothing, others could hypnotize and enthrall, others could see secret things, and no one aside from the Uchiha knew the extent or limit of their cursed ruby eyes. They would steal Tobi's eyes from him.

Sakura screamed again, kicking at the door with renewed vigor, striking with her bare heel. Someone had taken her shoes while she slept, or they were lost along the way. It didn't take long for her violent actions to become subdued as exhaustion overtook her again. Oh yeah, she was also filtering out the poison Kabuto used on her, reminding her of another reason to hate Hayate. She couldn't cure poison in her own body anymore, the way she could with the wolves and their rabies in Monarch Woods.

She cursed out loud and kicked one more time, her leg falling down without strength to her side.

Sakura didn't know for how long she lay there on the floor, tired and breathing heavy, but it felt like forever before she heard footsteps. Kabuto was finally coming for her. She tugged on her chains, sitting up just as she heard a key turning into the lock of the door. It didn't open suddenly, but it came on a creak and the light was a dagger in her eyes. She shielded her face and turned away, hissing.

Hard, heavy hands grabbed her wrist and pinned her down before there was the sound of more metal on metal. She whimpered at the pressure on her skin, hating how weak this dream body was.

"You weren't supposed to be there." Sakura froze at the sound of the voice. 'Not Kabuto.' She turned over and looked up into the new light and saw dark skin and white hair and familiar tattoos. 

"Darui," she gasped, "What are you-"

"Kabuto is out right now. I don't have long before he comes back. He won't be leaving here for a while once he returns." The chains fell away and he tugged her up. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this."

"Darui," Sakura moaned, realization dawning. "How could you? Kabuto's a monster."

"We're all monsters here."

"Tobi is a child! Where is he? Where's Tobi? Oh please, you have to help him first, before me." She didn't know how to feel happy. All she could think about was the child who was probably locked away in the dark just like her. Darui glared at her, his grip not exactly gentle as he pulled her to her feet. 

"Tobi is an Uchiha, he will grow up to be an Uchiha, and he will die as an Uchiha. He will never be anything more than an Uchiha, and you're better off forgetting him and the others if you want to live." Something in him softened. "You were not supposed to be taken."

"Why would you say something like that? You worked for Obito, he's a good man. Maybe not the rest of the Uchiha are so good, but you were a part of… you were there. We trusted you."

"You were supposed to trust me. The whole reason I was there was to prepare for the abduction of their child. I was never anything more than that." He looked behind him and growled. "We need to get you out of here." Something violent in Sakura jumped and she shoved at Darui, getting nowhere far but out of his arms. 

"No, I won't leave unless Tobi is safe. He's just a boy, he doesn't deserve this." It didn't matter that Tobi was already dead and that this was all a dream, she had to convince Darui to save Tobi too. "Please." Darui's face was lined with anger as more of his hair fell in front of his eyes. 

"You can't care about others, that's what's gonna kill you."

She thought of Hayate, the bastard, and the words he parted from her with. Maybe he wanted her to fail, but she believed him when he said what he did about the actors being the most important. 

"No, I think it's the opposite. Not caring about others will kill me. Darui, please." When he looked at her, he was angry. 

"You're not going to leave without the Uchiha, are you?"

It didn't make sense to say yes, but she did. He took her by the wrists, dragging her towards him and then flipped her over his shoulders, like a sack of potatoes. She pushed against the muscles in his back but she was tiny and weak and there was nothing she could do to stop him. He carried her out of the closet into the hallway and Sakura saw more lights, but also more wood and some wallpaper. Nice wallpaper… and molding. They were inside of a really nice house.

"Where are you taking me?" Sakura asked as they passed a large set of windows with the curtains drawn. Through the gap between fabrics she could see a young night sky.

"As far as I can before Kabuto returns. The others won't say anything if I-" He stopped short and sucked in a breath before looking out a window that had it's curtains partly drawn. Sakura looked back over her shoulder and saw a long, circular driveway and a nice car idling just out front, between the steps and the fountain in the center of the roundabout. Darui cursed.

"Is it Kabuto, is he back?"

"Worse. I need to put you back. I won't have a chance to get you out of here tonight, but he won't kill you right away. You'll be fine." He turned and shifted her higher up on his shoulder. "At least for a week, you'll be fine that long at least."

"What happens after a week?" Sakura asked, not liking the sound of Darui's voice.

"Orochimaru returns."

If she could have, Sakura would have been sick right then and there. But how was that possible? Orochimaru hadn't been an actor the first time they met in the Kingdom of Man. He had been the Dream Killer, a role holder not unlike Sai. Was it possible that a Dream Killer was different? She hadn't killed him the last time they met, all she had done was sever his hand from his wrist. It hadn't been enough to stop him. She swallowed, willing her voice to work. 

"So who's here now, who was in that car?"

"Another one of his students, and the rival Kabuto hates most in his pursuit of the Snake demon's affections. Her name is Anko. She must not see you." He shifted her up again, higher as he rounded a bend. "I'm putting you in a new room. Please do not make so much sound, it will draw negative attention to yourself."

She didn't doubt the truth to his words.

Stopping suddenly, he opened up a door and took her into another room that was much larger than the first. It was a sitting room richly decorated, but Sakura only saw a glimpse of it before he took her around the fireplace and down another corridor. There was darkness again and in the dim Darui's blue tattoos softly glowed. He took her to a room that was just as small as the first one she had been held up in, but against the back wall there were a plethora of vents and on the floor a number of different grates that let in light and fresh air. Right away she could tell she would be more comfortable than before, and it wasn't only due to the lack of chains.

"Please," he said, shifting so she fell from his shoulders. His voice was quieter but not pleading. "I won't help you save the boy, but my good will towards you has its limits too. Don't do anything stupid. Keep quiet and keep your head down." He backed away and started to close the door when she held out a hand, stopping him without words.

"Wait," she whispered. "Why did you help me?" He shrugged, looking away.

"I liked your songs." 

With that said, he eased the door shut and Sakura heard it lock from the outside. That should have been the end of it, but the dream still wore on with no signs of immediately stopping.

Sakura could hear so much from inside her room, noise traveled through the pipes and the vents emptied into a number of rooms, but nothing was happening in any of the rooms that would make her want to listen in. There had been a woman come in, and for a brief moment she visited one of the rooms with a vent leading to her room, but the woman named Anko never spoke. A shorter female trailed behind her, complaining about the weather and the drive and anything else under the sun before they moved from the open room into a hallway and out of range.

Sakura sighed, curling up against the far wall where there were fewer pipes left exposed. They were cool to be around, but she didn't care. It kept her awake. Falling asleep in the dream world before the dream is over had always been a trippy experience that resulted in her seeing an assortment of images that never seem to make sense. Sai once said it was a result of her mind trying to make sense out of chaos. How she missed Sai… 

There was a vibration against her back and she turned, identifying the pipe. While the room was small like the first one, it was longer, with a section towards the back being only high enough to crawl through. The pipe vibrating led into the dim crawlspace, a section Sakura hadn't tried to investigate. It was cramped looking, but if someone came looking for her and the lighting was bad, she might be able to hide herself there, so it was worth exploring.

Sakura got down onto her hands and knees and began to crawl, before even that became too much for the tiny space. She flipped over onto her back and began to army crawl backwards. She licked her lips and steadied her breathing whenever it spiked, knowing that small, enclosed spaces made her nervous. She once got stuck in a closet as a child when a friendly game of hide and seek turned malicious.

The pipe vibration didn't make sounds anymore, but she still followed it, going as far as she could, noticing that she was well out of sight by now. There were more grates in the floor she passed over, most leading into other rooms. She imagined the grates were more for managing the temperature of the room when the pipes were on, but couldn't fathom more than that their purpose. The room ended up being much longer than she at first realized.

Her foot struck the top of the room and she stopped, knowing there was no further she could go if her foot had hit something. It was darker here, but underneath the furthest grate she could still see into the room down below. It wasn't a hallway this time, but rather a smaller bedroom type area without any furniture. A bed had been replaced by a mess of sheets on the floor, and the dresser she assumed to be against a far wall was gone, replaced by a set of chains bolted to the floor. Over the hum of the active pipes she heard a voice, a young boyish voice crying.

"Tobi?" she hissed, her voice hopeful. "Tobi, is that you?"

She pressed her face flat against the grate and tried her best to see into the corner of the room where she was sure the boy would be. That's where his chains led.

The crying stopped and there was shuffling. Sakura heard the chains shift, metal over metal. 

"Where?" a voice that was barely there asked. Sore from crying, that's why he sounded different.

"I'm in a room above yours," Sakura whispered. "Through the grate. They locked me up too."

The chains shifted again and the young boy stepped forward, but it wasn't Tobi. He was small though, probably just as young, and he had messy dark hair and puffy red eyes swollen from crying. Behind him, swaying back and forth behind his legs was a brown monkey's tail. Not a human.

"You're not Tobi," she sighed, feeling a little let down. "What's your name?"

"Konohamaru," the boy sniffed again, loudly. "What are you doing in the ceiling?"

"I'm hiding, but I'm also locked in this room. I was with a young boy about your age, his name was Tobi Uchiha. A man in glasses named Kabuto took us at the same time, and I couldn't do anything to stop him."

"Kabuto took me too!" the smaller monkey boy exclaimed, jumping up a bit. "Why'd he do that? Where's my grandaddy? Do you know my grandaddy?"

"I don't. What's his name?" The boy made a face.

"Umm… his name is granddaddy. You don't know him?"

He was young, this whole ordeal was traumatizing. He was alone too, no one to comfort him. What had he seen? What had happened to him. Asking him these questions would probably be helpful in figuring out her own situation, but at what cost to his mental state?

"Konohamaru," she called, her voice soft and soothing. He looked up, eyes still wide and scared. "You've been very brave so far, just like I'm sure my Tobi is being right now, even though I can't find him. I'm very proud of you. I know your granddaddy is proud of you too. He's going to find us soon. There are so many people that love us who are looking for us, there's no way they won't be able to find us. I have a friend who has lots and lots of dogs and those dogs can smell anything. They'll find us."

"I've been here so long already. I don't know how many days, but it's been so many days." He breathed deep, getting ready to cry again. "I wanna go home. I'm scared. They're always screaming. I wanna go home."

The tears started flowing again, and it was like his eyes were empty things meant only for sadness. She believed him when he said he had been there for days. The last abduction had been over a week ago by now. Tobi was probably crying too, but she was locked up and there was nothing she could do.

She began to hum, low and soft and just barely loud enough to be heard over his crying. She thought of Tobi and what he would want to hear, and if maybe one of her vents led to a place her voice could reach. Maybe it was no accident she was locked here.

" _ Seconds march into the past… the moments pass and just like that-they're gone…The river always finds the sea so helplessly… like you find me. We are paper boats floating on a stream and it would seem, oh, we'll never be apart… _ "

She licked her lips, closed her eyes, and in turn felt the roll of music that came from inside her. She was the ocean, wide and vast, finally understanding why she always thought of the sea when she sang. Below her, the crying had stopped. Tobi would be able to hear her song, she was sure of it, but her song wasn't just for him anymore.

" _ I will always find you, like it's written in the stars. You can run, but you can't hide. Try… like the moon that makes the tides that silent guide is calling from inside. And pull me here and push me there, it's everywhere hanging in the air. _ "

She was better when she woke in the morning. Not all the way, but just enough to hide the rest of her depression. Fear made a home in her breast, there was nothing that could change that until this curse was done with and defeated, and even after the curse was beaten (if she was that lucky), she would always live with the wounds. Her mind was a broken, scarred thing. She had seen death, war, destruction, and cruelty. That would never leave her.

However, as she stepped into the shower and turned the water on, she knew she would be okay. She lived with so many nasty things in her heart, but she also lived with hope. Sai believed in her. She would triumph.

The steam kept close to her as she stepped out, the water turned off. She toweled down her hair and then brushed what she could back away from her face. Soon it would be long enough again to roll up in her victory curls, but for now it was still no longer than her shoulders, and only just barely at that. At least it fit in with the flapper girl style.

Sakura dragged her hand across the glass of her mirror and cleared up a space for her to catch her reflection. The mirror felt hot and she jumped, pulling her hand back. She coughed and felt the heat hadn't come from the mirror, but from her. She coughed again and breathed out a wisp of gray smoke. It could have been steam, it probably was, but Sakura wanted to believe.

Later that day, she texted Karin, and then she texted Ino. She marked a day in her calendar and closed her eyes, mentally bracing for the second war front her waking life was soon to become.

It wasn't long after she woke up in the dream world that things began to happen. She fell asleep against a grate last time, and the design was printed into the side of her face in angry red lines that were soon fading when she woke. Her hair was a mess as well, but she didn't care about that so much as long as it stayed out of her face.

The bandage around her head wound was gone, peeled away once the wound had closed completely. It would scar but it was close enough to her hairline that it would be impossible to see unless you were looking for it.

Sakura stiffened when she heard the lock on her door rattle and scurried away from it as Darui swung it open. Behind him stood Kabuto, eyes narrowed behind round glasses. He was grinning and it made her sick to see.

"My apologies. I hadn't meant to keep such a diva waiting." His voice made her skin crawl. Kabuto nodded to Darui and the larger male reached into the room to grab Sakura by her wrist. She moved willingly, squeezing her eyes tight, knowing that if she fought here and now she would not win. Darui dragged her behind him and Kabuto nodded in appreciation. "I'm glad to see you're so willing. Do you know why you are here?"

"You're a sick man, Kabuto." He sighed, as if amused with her assessment of his character. 

"You're here to help me. True, you were not one of our original targets, but I'm so pleased we managed to snag you. We have the Uchiha boy and he's actually younger than I would have liked. His special bloodline trait, the demon eyes, haven't developed as I hope they would. I need to unlock them before I can extract them." The taste of bile never left her mouth but it was especially visceral at the turn of his words. 

"I'm not going to help you hurt Tobi."

"Don't feel intimidated. There's really not a lot you need to do. What I want you to focus on is giving us a good show, diva. That shouldn't be too hard for you." He turned down a corridor and Sakura felt the stairs jar into her heels with every hasty step she stumbled down. Her feet were a black mess after reaching the end of the stone staircase, but the room they exited into was not the shabby dungeon she was expecting. It was richly decorated with red tapestries, oriental rugs, and mutely colored fainting couches. There were no windows, but lights were plenty, glowing through the crystals of the chandelier overhead.

"Sakura!" She jerked to the side, hearing Tobi. He was being held by two blank faced males by the shoulder and arms, unable to struggle free even though he tried. His eyes were red from crying, but he was smiling at her. "I heard you!"

"Are you hurt?" Sakura asked, pulling against Darui, even though the hold on her wrist was steel-tight and unforgiving.

Tobi looked like he wanted to cry but he shook his head. He was lying, Sakura could see the bruises.

"It's very touching," Kabuto drawled, turning towards the heavy red tapestry. Grabbing a handful, he pulled it back to show off a tank over ten feet tall and just as wide. The smell of salt was heavy enough to tell her it was filled with ocean water. He looked to Sakura and grinned. "Mermaids won't transform in fresh water, unless that is where they are born. None of those exist anymore, and I doubt you're one of them if you came from Kisame's establishment. Darui, take her up."

Sakura was tugged forward towards a pair of steps that led up to a dock built over a third of the tank's open top. He positioned her over the edge and she could guess what they were going to do to her next. Tobi was crying out again, trying to break free.

"It's okay," Sakura called, not looking away from the water. "It's going to be okay, Tobi."

"It's really not," Kabuto chuckled, pretending to be sympathetic. "Make sure the Uchiha brat sees this. Darui, push her in."

The man beside her hesitated, but the hand on her wrist let go and moved to the small of her back, pushing her forward. She fell into the tank, not expecting anything terrible. She had been in salt waters before. Water wasn't something that she had to fear. This tank would be no different. Everything was going to be okay.

She hit the water and it was like falling into acid. She screamed and the acid followed into her lungs, burning her all the way down. She could breath or see or feel anything beside pain. It was beyond anything she could have possibly expected. The saltwater around her hissed, angry and vicious. She opened her eyes for a moment and then shut them again. She saw red in the water and felt it all over her body. She was being teared apart, not just her legs, but her whole body.

Her form was something wrong in the waters. Her neck opened up in tears that flared like gills, and her eyes were burned away into something else as her ears followed. Shoulders, arms, wrists, hands, all if it felt unmade and burned away. She felt fuller, bigger, stronger, but also pained. There was so much pain. Her back, starting at the base of her skull, all the way down to her tailbone screamed as it was ripped longer and further. Her legs were gone, dissolved or burned away, and something new grew in their place.

This wasn't how mermaid transformations were supposed to be. She didn't feel beautiful, she felt brutalized. There was red in the water all around her as she took on scales and colors like mother of pearl all over her body. She was caught between two worlds forever before she felt the bottom of the tank press up against her dorsal fin. She turned and laws on her rib, wanting to cry as her tail still grew.

The ocean is full of salt from the tears of mermaids.

A lifetime passed before she could open her eyes again and see out through the second set of lids that made underwater sight possible. Tobi was on the floor crying, still held by the arms. Kabuto was watching her, eyes mesmerized. She wanted to look away, but all she could do was close her eyes for a while before opening them again. There were so many bubbles still in the tank, she wondered how much they had seen. How much of her transformation had been visible?

Kabuto was saying something and Tobi was crying harder. What was Kabuto saying? Mean things, but what were the mean things?

Sakura didn't want to move, shifting the slightest muscle made the rest of her stink in agony. It felt as if she had grown into a completely new body with tissue that was still sensitive to the world outside the womb. Everything hurt and she felt like a baby.

Outside, Kabuto tapped the glass trying to get her attention. She heard the vibrations, but didn't want to open her eyes again. The lids, the ones on the outside, were too heavy. She wanted Kakashi to hold her and let her fall asleep in his arms again.

There was something new in the water, she felt the ripples as the object moved down towards her. She started to turn towards it before forcing her eyes open and saw what looked like a noose dangling down towards her. She started to pull away, but the rest of her body was too sensitive, and there was nothing she could do as the loop settled over her neck and tightened underneath her jaw.

Her hands flew to the loop, trying to pry it loose with her fingernails. Whoever was on the other end of the line yanked hard and she jerked at the pain. Air was coming in from the gills around her neck as well as her sides below her ribs, so breathing wasn't what Sakura was worried about. She was being pulled up towards the surface. What would happen when she emerged into the air and left the salt water behind.

Sakura struggled again, this time putting the weight of the lower half of her body, her tail end, into the maneuver. It might have worked too, because she gained ground, but her tail was the most underdeveloped aspect of her new body and it shook with agony when she moved it. Her vision went black from the pain for just a moment before the waters around her fell away.

If submerging was painful, emerging from the waters was equally so, but this time she felt like she was choking. Her gills went dry, and there was a crusty feeling around the edges that grew right away before someone pounded her back, and she felt like she could breathe again as water fell from her mouth in a gush like vomit. She still felt stale around the gills, but she was able to breath regular air through her mouth. It was painful, but she wasn't dying anymore. At least, that's what she wanted to believe.

"It's a handy trick, you don't have to give up the ability to breath no matter where you are." Kabuto's tone was teasing, and amused. "That's so not fair."

Sakura still couldn't feel enough of her body to form words, much less retort with something snappy and mean, but she coughed up more saltwater and glared through her wet lashes. She felt the ends of her teeth like fangs and wondered if she had the mouth of a shark now. All the better for tearing his throat out. She wouldn't waste time being human in this world. She was a monster, and she was willing to kill.

Kabuto grimaced at her look of determination and then waved to someone behind her. 

"Make sure to gag her, idiots. I told you we can't let her speak like this."

Sakura tried to say something, but more water came out and her throat burned. Before she could form the words for stop someone was behind her, stuffing something deep into her mouth, gagging her. She choked, water still in her throat and the gag grew wet very quickly. She couldn't hold her body up anymore and flopped back, her face hitting the grate overlooking the tank.

In the background she heard Tobi crying and calling out her name. His fear was what pissed her off most.

Her eyes were heavy, but they snapped wide open when she felt Kabuto's fingers under her jaw. He turned her face to look at him and she glared with all the strength she had left. She would have spit at him again if she could. 'Bastard.'

"You know, in my day I've seen a grand total of six, no, seven mermaids in their natural state if I count you. You're such a rare lot, even for someone like me who deals in the monstrous. Out of all the tails I've seen, Mei's might have been the most impressive, but I think yours is the most beautiful, and not because it's still covered in blood."

Sakura jerked when she felt the hand run down her scales. They were young and weak and thin and hurting. Freshly grown, it didn't feel magical at all. Why had Hayate given her this form? Why was she so weak and helpless? Monsters were supposed to be big, powerful, and scary. She was none of the above. She was worse off as a monster than she had been as a human.

Someone asked something that Sakura couldn't make out, and Kabuto shook his head. 

"No, her tail is valuable to be sure, but we can make a greater profit over a longer period of time with blood extraction. Mermaid blood is strangely viable for healing remedies and anti aging creams and a plethora of other things. If we keep her healthy, we can beed her for years and make one hundred times what a simple tail will go for. Immortality is not always guaranteed, you know."

"She doesn't need her tongue though, does she?" a man standing closer to Kabuto asked. This male was a little older, but darkly dressed with a music note on the back of his wrist.

Darui was behind her and she felt him stiffen.

"No," Kabuto answered after a moment. "It's not something she needs, but it's too early to extract it. It might sound vain, but I've never heard her sing, and I want to at least once before we kill her, and aside from that, mermaid tongues aren't what people are buying. You want a tongue, you get a siren. No, Sakura keeps hers for now."

"It's not worth it. She's a liability with a tongue." The other male huffed.

Kabuto ignored his underling and grabbed Sakura's face again, pulling hers closer to his. He was smiling again. 

"See, Sakura, I can be kind. I can be anything I want to be."

She heard movement behind her and tried to pull away from Kabuto to see what it was, but he held her face firm and it hurt to go against him. There was something metal reflected in his glasses, and then a second later she felt the needle in her tail and she wanted to scream all over again, but Darui and two other men were holding her down, pinning her while her blood was stolen from her. It came out of her looking like liquid mother of pearl, shimmering and white.

Kabuto let her face go and disappeared to climb down the ladder and approach Obito's son. Kabuto grabbed for Tobi's face and pulled it to look up at him before angling it so he couldn't look away from Sakura. 

"Isn't it terrible," he cooed with mock sympathy. "She's probably never suffered so much as she is going to suffer here, and it's all thanks to you. I guess I should thank you. We have such a valuable resource now that she's here. Good job, my boy."

Sakura was quickly fading, feeling the pain and the blood loss grow too much to manage in this state. She struggled and got a hand free to grab at the rags in her mouth. She tore them out before anyone could stop her. Everything inside of her hurt, especially when she breathed, but she pushed past the pain. 

"Don't listen to him Tobi! It's not your fault at all. You- mph!"

The rag was back, and another hand was around the base of her skull, pressing her face into the grate so she couldn't see. There was commotion all around her though. The needle was pulled out of her tail and people were dragging her by the arms to the railing. Darui tossed her onto his shoulder and another pair of men carried her tail behind the dark skinned male. Sakura heard Kabuto seething from the side where she couldn't see.

"Put her in the shallow pool. I don't want her transforming back, but we're not leaving her in the tub with so much mobility. And for fucks sake, someone get me that muzzle!"

"Still think we shouldn't cut out the tongue?" a man asked.

Kabuto turned to look back at Tobi, and Sakura could just barely see the move if she turned her head enough. Kabuto was glaring and Tobi looked glad. 

"Get the kid out of here. I can't do anything to him now if he can't hear me anymore. Anko or Ami will have to take over."

One of the men holding her tail cursed and squeezed her scales needlessly, drawing the blood that didn't shimmer like mother of pearl to the surface. The leftover blood from her human body was angry and red, spilling over her scales until her tail seemed partially dyed the color.

The pain threw her over the edge when it twisted it the wrong way and this time she didn't mind falling.

There were poppies and roses behind her eyes.    
Ah, the dream wasn't over.

She awoke what seemed like moments later. She was in a shallow copper basin that was filled halfway with saltwater. Her tail was too long to fit so it dangled outside of the tub over the edge, the upper half still submerged in water.

She looked up and saw Hayate standing over her, dressed in a charcoal gray suit and a bright red tie.

She wanted to curse him out, but there was leather in her mouth. She glared at him and the look was potent enough to send the message it needed to. 'What do you want, asshole?'

"I'm here to illuminate some advantages you might not have been aware of. Really, I thought you were smarter than this. You should have some implanted memories that show you how to activate your gifts. You didn't even know about the power of suggestion your voice has, did you?"

Sakura just glared at him some more. Hayate coughed into his hand. 

"Well, now you do. There is one thing more I will leave you with, and I hope you appreciate it. I think it's fair since it will add a new perspective to how you extend the narrative." Hayate reached into the tub and cupped a handful of water in his palm. "Who would you like to see, Sakura? The water is your slave. It will reflect the desires of your heart. Ask and it will show you anyone."

Sakura reached out and splashed water onto his face, feeling the burn under her skin from the effort to raise her arm. Everything about her still stung. Hayate dodged her splash with ease, but there was a section of his front that still got wet. He looked at it glumly before sighing. His sigh soon became another coughing fit. Once he was done, his eyes were moist. 

"Fine, have it your way. Do as you will."

And he was gone.

Sakura settled back into the water knowing she didn't have a lot of time left. She could feel the dream around her thinning the way it does right before waking. Less and less of it was stable enough to remain in.

Absently, she cupped a handful of water in her palm. She was able to hold more water than Hayate or any other human on account of the thin, translucent webbing between her fingers that shimmered something like a pearl shell when she moved it in the light.

Her hand was a perfect bowl, cupping water. There was no harm in it. She wished to see Kakashi. She thought of him, frantically searching, tracking down clues as to her disappearance. He likely worked alongside the Uchiha officers now. Where was he? What was he currently doing?

The water didn't ripple, it was as smooth as glass, but the image inside of it shifted, changing, morphing into the familiar form of her manager. He looked exhausted, his shirt was a mess of ribbons and his hands were elbow deep in bloodstains that still dripped. He sat on a tarp over a supply crate from the docs, breathing heavily as his lupine features faded back. There was still something wild about him, the curve of his fangs would never fully receded, but in this scene she doubted he wanted to look human. The blood on his hands was dark, too dark for humans.

"I appreciate the save," a voice outside of her image called. A second later, the lower half of a younger man stepped into the picture. Kakashi huffed, his breath sounding still ragged. 

"Next time you might want to try a little harder to avoid getting caught. I'm only saving your ask because you have information." The other male huffed. 

"Well I only got caught cause I was digging around for information for your stupid little abductee. Where is Obito, anyway? He was just here with Kagami, wasn't he?"

Sakura noticed the other male was wearing a police uniform, even if it was bloodied and dirtied. Kagami's partner?

Kakashi grunted and pointed away, somewhere outside of the bubble. The other figure stepped away and Kakashi was alone again until it was Obito who came to approach the weary manager. Poor Obito looked just as haunted.

"We'll find them," Kakashi said.

"There's no scent. They're not here or anywhere. It's almost like they're stuck in a pocket dimension, the way trails just die off. There's no way to track them, if that's true."

"We'll find them," Kakashi said again, sterner. "If it's dimensions, we're lucky we have Uchiha blood to back us up. You're the one who can travel back and forth across dimensions."

"There are a limitless number of places they could be if I just started picking dimensions to explore, and I can only visit one every eighteen to twenty hours, I'm not Nagato. We need more to go on than that. We need a mole, or a beacon and we're running out of time." Obito sounded sterner than Sakura had ever heard from him.

"They won't take his eyes till he's older or a little more developed-" Kakashi began to say, but was cut off by his friend.

"That's not the only thing I care about. What are they doing to try and provoke his development? Trauma and fear accelerate the awakening. Every minute I'm not there, he's suffering, Sakura too. God knows what they're doing to her, or if she's still alive." Kakashi's expression turned even more grim as he clenched his fists. 

"You don't have to tell me that."

The hand that held the water began to shake, and a moment later Sakura dropped her arm, sighing into the tub water as the edges of her world began to bleed black. She had spent long enough with Kabuto. She needed to get out as soon as possible, but she didn't know the first thing about making a beacon or guiding them into another dimension. She could see them, but it was another useless skill. She still had no way of helping them or getting free.

Cupping another handful of water with her opposite hand she held the pool of water aloft and thought of the person she wished to see. She'd try one more thing, and hopefully, the dream would last long enough for her to get through.

* * *

"We all have one foot in a fairytale, and the other in the abyss."

Paulo Coelho

  
  
  



	8. Kingdom Made of Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wouldn't be here without my fab and fantastic Beta! This chapter was edited by Nightmarenip so send out your love and thanks!

A great while ago, when the world was full of wonders...dark wonders.

* * *

**OBELISK:**

**Kingdom of Monsters:  
** **Kingdom Made of Fire**

* * *

"All monsters were once full of light, but it was stolen from them by despair, then the darkness seeped into their veins, like a deadly disease without a cure, and once hope betrays you, you can't help but let the devil inside."

— this is how the devil was born / k.s.

* * *

The next day she dreamed was one long torture session, with Kabuto pulling scales off her tail and draining blood from the white parts of her transformed body. She hadn't been able to do anything with what little power she had. Contacting another person was just a joke, as her abilities only allowed her to  _ see _ them. Even if she could talk to them, she had no idea how to help them find her. Their exact location was still unknown to her. She was in a fancy house and that was the extent of her knowledge.

She thought maybe the next day something would happen that she could manipulate for her benefit, but all she did was writhe in pain, gagged and constrained with chains spun from black hair. Darui didn't see her anymore, assigned to another interrogation room. She had no sway over him anyway.

They dragged Toby in to watch when they pulled some of her scales off, because she was most violent in her reactions when they pulled free the scales closest to the end or tip of her tail using a pair of tweezers. Kabuto couldn't talk to Toby anymore because of what Sakura did when she told Toby 'not to listen to Kabuto,' but there was a new man there whispering the same things to Toby.

One the third day she woke up in Kabuto's private office. It was empty of observers, leaving her alone with the man directly responsible for so much of her suffering. He stood at a table not far from the shallow tub she was set into. Her moonlight colored tail hung over the edge, only a part of it dipped into the seawater to keep her from changing back.

He looked up, seeing her stir and smiled. Straightening his glasses with the tip of his fingers he turned towards her. Sakura noticed something like a marble inside the one ears she could see. She shifted in the tub, turning more fully towards him in a defensive crouch, and that's when she noticed the lack of weight around her head. She opened her mouth and closed it. The muzzle was gone.

"Don't bother." He interrupted her thoughts. When she glared, he continued, tapping the side of his ears. "I'm filtering your words. Now it will be as if you were talking to me as a human. Your thrall won't work on me now."

"But you can still hear me?" Her voice came out sounding echoed, like the sound particle vibrated differently. Her throat was sore too, and the gills on the outside of her neck stuttered, dry of seawater. "You're a devil- you're worse than a monster."

"Thank you, but I'm afraid you haven't even begun to see what I am capable of yet. Don't you want to know why I have you here in the room with me, alone, unmuzzled, safe from the needles?" Sakura narrowed her eyes. 

"I doubt I'm ever safe from anything when I'm with you."

"We need to give you some time to replenish your strength before going at it again. No one wants to tap you dry before your time." He took a step closer to her table, just outside of her arm's reach. Sakura shrunk back, not wanting to touch him at all. Seeing her reaction, he chuckled. The sound of his voice made her skin crawl.

"I'd kill you if I could," she seethed, feeling imaginary hackles rising. "I don't care why you brought me here." Kabuto regarded her with a new appreciation, tilting his head back and staring down his nose at her. 

"You're more special than I anticipated. Kin was the one who noticed, but I should have seen it as well."

He took a step towards her, close enough to reach out and grab her. She stiffened when she saw his hand raise and tried to scoot away when it landed on her shoulder, tracing up her skin to her neck. Her gills flared in agitation and he traced them teasingly, amused by how dry they were. She always felt like half of her was drowning in this state.

"You're cursed. It's magnificent… when I look into it, I can see thousands of years of magic and dark things, such beautifully dark and wicked things. I would have never assumed a creature so tragically lovely could be so damned. Did you know? Oh, how could you not?"

"There's nothing you can do," Sakura growled, twisting her head. Her mouth was full of teeth and she snapped at his hand, but he grabbed her under her jaw and held her still. She was too weak to fight back, even though as a mermaid she should have been stronger than before. She was missing too much blood.

"I wonder if you've tried to peel it back, to turn the curse over. I've never seen something so complex, and I confess the rate of my eagerness is matched only by my suspense. What will I find when I pull your curse apart?"

"You can't do that!" Sakura jerked back, or tried to as he held her down.

She could feel him straining though, with only his hand to hold her down he used more of his arm, pinning her chest with his elbow and throwing the weight of his body forward. His head hovered centimeters from hers. She felt when he swallowed and his Adam's apple bobbed.

He grinned and it was less strained.

"Will you sing for me then?"

A moment passed and the doubt within her grew. He was close enough to kill her, his hand was still a vice around her neck, and he wanted to hear her sing? He was mad. He was crazy and mad and he was going to kill her with torture and then humiliate her with stupid questions.

"You haven't answered my question." His grip on her throat tightened. She stiffened and tried to pull away, but he was too heavy on her. 

"What question? You didn't ask me anything!" He laughed, lessening his grip til his hand was a ghost of a sensation above her skin, barely there.

"I asked you to sing for me. I want to hear it, I want to hear you sing the way you did for the others." She scrunched up her nose, a little ticked off that he was serious. 

"No, I can't sing for you." His hand was around her throat again, but his grip wasn't as tight.

"Why not?" he asked, voice dry and low.

She knew that telling him the truth would upset him at the very least, and likely earn her an experience of the unpleasant kind if he was the type to take his anger out on things. When she opened her mouth, a lie came out. 

"You made me sick. I'm too weak from all the blood loss. I couldn't so much as hum even if I wanted to." She paused for a breath, feeling the stain in her voice already pulling her resolve apart. Maybe her lie wasn't so untrue after all. "I can't. It's impossible like this."

"How much time would you need to recover?" Kabuto pulled away, his elbow and hand gone from her body.

"I wouldn't know, but even if I could, I wouldn't sing for you, it wouldn't mean anything to someone like you who's taken me apart like a commodity. I'm not a thing, you can't treat me like this. When the Uchiha clan find your hideout, they're going to-" Kabuto cut her off with a voice sharper than the knives they used to cut into her. 

"The Uchiha are blind apes who couldn't find their way out of a trash can if the bottom was blown off. They'll never find this place, and they'll never find you."

"They'll find Obito." Kabuto almost rolled his eyes, but didn't. Too mature for that, he just closed them and pushed up his glasses with a sigh. 

"No, they won't. This place is beyond their reach, even for an Uchiha. It doesn't matter how many of their kind I steal, I can do anything I want with this power. The All Mother's power has no limit and I have no weakness, meaning you have no hope of rescue and that Uchiha brat has no use once we pluck his eyes out."

He moved away from her, unconcerned with the possibility of her trying to escape. She still was a mermaid with a tail and no means of transportation. He could afford to be casual with her. This Kabuto was different from the one she had met in the Kingdom of Man. She knew all the actors were new things in each kingdom, but with Kabuto, a villain so close to the original dream killer, she had expected something different. She had expected him to be exactly as she remembered- unchanged and in possession of all his memories.

"Why are you doing this?" Sakura asked, taking his attention back. Free to move, she shifted onto her side and used her elbow to prop her body up. "I get that wanting power is always a good answer for you evil people, but everyone seems to hate the Uchiha. Why are you doing such cruel things when you claim they're so much more brutal?"

Kabuto, to his credit, seemed genuinely flattered by the question. He appeared to appreciate her curiosity and smiled at her attention. She didn't doubt he liked when she spoke about him. 

"The Uchiha breed monsters. I am what I am because of the Uchiha. If I am cruel, who is to blame but the mother of cruelty? I am not alone in this. Many others have lost family, homes, and loved ones to the greed of the Uchiha. They've burned competitors to a crisp on the doorsteps of their loved ones and flown severed heads through the kitchen windows of their dead's parents. They've done it all before, and they'll do it again. That's their nature."

Sakura wanted to say he was lying, but a part of her knew what he was saying wasn't a fabrication. There was hesitation in Kakashi when they spoke of the Uchiha relatives of Obito. There was a line in the family, Obito and his son were on one side, the rest of the Uchiha were on the other. 'These are the ones we can trust,' she imagined Kakashi saying. There was a reason he was so cautious about the others appearing around her, and he only ever wanted to protect her.

"I don't think so, not all of them. Obito was always decent and fair with me, and Toby is a sweet, innocent boy." Kabuto chuckled, clicking his tongue at her. He regarded her the way an adult would regard a child.

"Do you know what makes the Uchiha so powerful?" She remembered what she had heard.

"Their eyes?"

"Yes, the Uchiha are known for their blood red pinwheel eyes that can make the forces of this world bend to their will. They're right to boast, the power of their eyes is awesome. However, they are not born with this power, it must be developed and unlocked. How do you think they unlock their powers?" 

She thought of Toby, and how they made him watch her during the times men came to steal her blood and scales. 

"Survival? Is it something triggered by the need to live?"

"Sometimes. They must witness a great trauma for the powers to be unlocked. They create these traumas for the newest generations at our expense. Whole killing fields are set out before the eyes of their youth all for the sake of their god-like powers. One saw his twin die, another killed his best friend. I heard stories about Uchiha who killed family members and murdered babes and women alike until his eyes bled red. They're monsters, all of them." Sakura laid back down on the table, her elbow growing too sore to support the upper portion of her body. 

"But you're a monster too, for what you've done to me," Sakura breathed. She felt so heavy, even keeping her eyes open was starting to become a struggle. When she opened her eyes, Kabuto was there, beside her with the back of his hand pressed up against the side of her face. 

"You're warm. You're not supposed to be. I'm putting you back in the tub. That's it for today."

"Please," Sakura whispered, her eyes too heavy to keep open. "I want to go back to Kakashi. I'm so tired and hollow.” She felt the saltwater leak from the corners of her eyes. "I want to go home."

Kabuto didn't put her back in the tub. He called out to someone and a young man in black glasses and a trench coat helped him wheel the cart she was on out into another room with a large tank of sea water waiting. When Sakura opened her eyes to look and see who had helped her she recognized the boy named Shino. Ah, so he was working for the Snake this time around too.

"Isn't this dangerous?"

"She needs to regain her strength. Nothing else will be as fast."

She was lifted up between the two of them. She was longer and heavier as a mermaid with an actual tail, but she was still light between them, and they had no trouble moving her up to where the platform fed into the tank. She wanted to ask why they were doing what they were doing, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. Her eyes were so heavy. Why was this dream so short?

The dream wasn't ending, but she was stuck in a body that couldn't last long enough for the time allotted to her.

"I'm not wearing the black pearls," she heard Shino say from above her. "If she-"

"Just help me get her into the tank."

A second later she was falling into acid again. She wanted to scream as her body was shocked into adapting.

Being a mermaid was supposed to be fun and beautiful, the way it was when she worked through the summer as an entertainer at the resort in New York City. Styled up like a mermaid and painted like something exotic, she remembered feeling brilliantly beautiful and admired whenever little girls and boys would see her lounging along the rocks or diving into the fish tank to do tricks before her breath ran out.

The actual body of a mermaid was a terrible thing full of pain and discomfort. She felt bruised all over and burned where her gills stretched to accommodate the new setting. There were patches along her tail where scales had been pulled and were still naked, waiting for the new ones to grow in. Those patches hurt in the water and she wanted to cry out. This was wrong. She wasn't a monster, she was a mistake. She didn't belong in this body. She was helpless, but more than that, everything hurt.

She felt herself being pulled again and her face broke the surface, but only her face. The rest of her remained submerged. There were hands under her jaw, Kabuto's. He was lying on his chest over the edge of the tank, holding on to her. He was speaking too. What was he saying?

"You'll be fine. You'll adjust with time. Soon the pain will all be gone." His voice was almost soothing. When a stray thumb brushed the bottom of her lip she almost believed him.

"Anko will be asking for me." Kabuto made a sound of displeasure and snapped at Shino. 

"Then go, we're done with you here. See what that punk needs you for."

"You're not supposed to be alone with it."

"She's too weak to pose a threat and I am more than capable of defending myself against an Uchiha, so don't think a mermaid will be any trouble." Kabuto's voice was still cold. Shino was down the stairs but stopped to look back.

"…Even if she's in the water?"

"Go, brat. Leave us."

Sakura wanted to pull away, she didn't like the feel of Kabuto's hands on her face, but she couldn't deny that she felt better with her mouth and nose above water, breathing in oxygen while her gills started to wake up and operate again. If she pulled away, she doubted she would have the strength to keep herself above the crest of the waters. She didn't want to sink again, but she hated his hands, especially his thumbs because they seemed to travel too much, trace the edges of her lips in teasing.

She felt like Hayate was right beside her, whispering into her ear. ' _ He's an actor, too. Use him _ .'

Sakura forced her eyes up to meet those of her captor. She saw the way his gaze wavered and his throat bobbed when he swallowed a breath. He was a killer, but he was an actor, just like the others. She had a power over him that couldn't be measured or adequately explained, but as the dreamer, she couldn't deny there was some type of pull that existed between her and all the other deceased dreamers. Actors were naturally drawn to her.

Sakura closed her eyes and then opened them slowly, looking up at Kabuto through her lashes. 

"I feel better," she whispered in a voice she hoped was husky. "Thank you," she added after a shaky breath. Her whole body was breathing now. It wasn't a lie, she really did feel better.

"That's good." He didn't let her go. "Do you think you'll be well enough to sing for me tonight?" Sakura didn't want to, but his question gave her an idea.

"I…I'm not sure. I don't think so, but I suppose I could try."

Kabuto's face split in a grin and for a second she had forgotten her hate, but only a second. There was too much darkness in her heart to forgive so easily, especially when he wasn't deserving or asking for forgiveness. She wasn't ready to be kind to him, her words were only there to serve a greater purpose.

"But there's no moon, no reason for it. You've stolen my blood and pillaged my body. Why should I sing for you?" She looked up through her lashes again, knowing he wouldn't look away from her. 

"You don't have much of a choice. What else could you do?"

"Kabuto," She didn't miss the way he shivered when she said his name. "I am no fool. I know you have no mercy for me. You'll take from me until I have nothing left to give, and then you will let me die. I'm not a part of your plans."

"Plans can change." Sakura shook her head. 

"But they won't. You have no power over me. You couldn't threaten my songs out of me, but I might be willing to sell them to you." Kabuto raised a single brow.

"And why would you need to do that?"

"It isn't something that would ruin your plans if I could see Toby one more time. If you bring him to me, I'll sing once my voice recovers."

"And if I don't. I could just threaten you, there are always new pains. You would break eventually."

"I think you underestimate what kind of effort goes into my singing. I'm not a simple showgirl with a pretty song. I'm something much more dangerous than that," Sakura hissed, willing herself to believe her own words. If she didn't look absolutely convinced, how could she expect Kabuto to believe her? "What you ask for is no small thing and you will never get it from me with threats or violence. The very nature of my song is a thing that can't exist apart from my will and wellbeing. You should know that already."

Kabuto hummed something to himself, the gears of his mind spinning behind his eyes. She could see him thinking, planning, plotting, suspecting her words. His thumb never stopped traveling across her face, and she shivered when he pressured her lips to part. Fear laced her spine and she braced to jerk back, pull away with all she had when he let her go and stood, suddenly towing over her. 

"You will rest. No one will enter here. In the morning you will be ready."

He believed his words to be final, so they were.

Not having the strength to hold her head above the waters, Sakura sank, drifting down through the waters to bump against the glass. She caught a reflection of herself, tail curled and lovely in all it's iridescent glory as the rippling frills of her side fins flared. They were growing larger and darker. Once only white, now her fins held traces of pink at the edges as did her tail. Once she was stronger, the freckles would darken and widen. Once she was stronger, she might be something worth looking at. Once she was stronger, her teeth might be something worth using.

She hit the base of the tank with a thud and turned over, laying down on her stomach to allow the dorsal fin stemming from her spine freedom. Smaller fins sprouted from her arms, but they were not noticeable or sensitive enough to hinder her when she decided to cushion her head in her elbows.

Once she was stronger, things would be different.

Sakura traced the sides of her aluminum tea can, catching the droplets of condensation under her fingernails. It had been chilled when she pulled it from the ice chest, but that would soon change if she left it outside much longer. Summer was dying, but the heat and humidity refused to let go. She still wore shorts and cropped tops around the house when Ami wasn't around to turn on the AC. Sakura hated the sound of the air conditioning unit, which was why she was outside.

Across from her, Karin slurped on an otter pop. In the heat, the redhead had pulled up all her hair and twisted it into a high bun to keep off her neck. Sweat still beaded down the exposure of her skin, but she didn't complain. If it was for Sakura's sake, Karin never seemed to complain.

Sakura could hardly swallow. Her tea hadn't been opened. Checking her phone once more, she pretended to skim her tumblr feed, but she was watching for a text from Ino. It was getting close to the time she would show.

"You're going to be mad at me," Sakura sighed, keeping her eyes one her phone. Karin looked over the table at Sakura, frowning.

"What did you do now?"

"Nothing I regret, but you're still going to be mad at me." Sakura lifted her eyes, keeping her head lowered. "Promise me something?"

"I never promise you anything," the redhead snorted, but her eyes were tense, the skin around them drawn tight. "What did you do?" she asked again.

Sakura didn't reply at first, but she opened her mouth when she felt her phone vibrate under her fingers. It was the text she had been waiting for. 

"I invited a friend over, or someone I want to be friends with and I'd like you two to meet. I don't think you'll like her, but still…"

"Sakura," Karin sighed, licking red juice off the outside of her plastic strip. "I don't like anyone. You don't need my permission to be friends with people."

"It's different from that," Sakura sighed, turning her phone over and reading the text message. Ino was at the front door. Sakura uncurled her legs and stood up next to the table, turning her phone off and leaving it next to her unopened tea can. Without saying anything more to Karin, Sakura headed through the house to the front door where Ino would be waiting for entrance.

Ami was somewhere in France with her dad again, but demanded an update of all events once the meeting was done with. Sakura felt herself wishing her younger housemate was there to see everything for herself. Sakura didn't want to relive the whole ordeal again in a story for someone else.

"Hey," Ino greeted with a wave. She glanced back over Sakura's shoulder to the inside of the house. "Is she here?"

"She's almost always here." Sakura nodded, stepping aside to let the blond in. "She's on the back porch." Ino nodded, closing the door behind her and waiting for Sakura to start leading the way. 

They would have to pass through the kitchen to make it out back and in a move she knew was nothing more than a distraction, Sakura stopped by the fridge to open it and look for something she could offer Ino to drink.

"Water's fine," the blond answered, holding out a hand for one of the bottles lining the interior of the refrigerator door. Sakura pulled one free and handed it over. The door swung shut with a dull thud seconds before Karin stepped into the room and changed everything.

"The hell?" Karin hissed, eyes narrowed to slits. Ino froze, hand on the cap of her water, unwilling to do more than flinch. Sakura felt her chest pinch. This wasn't a dream, this was her reality and this was important.

"Karin," Sakura's tone was hesitant.

The redhead looked away from the blond to glare at Sakura and then switched her gaze back to Ino. Before Sakura could say anything more, Karin crossed the room to stand in front of Sakura and put her back to the pinkett protectively, facing Ino. Something bitter flashed in Ino's eyes.

"Maa," she breathed, sizing Karin up, "How the tables have turned. I remember when this was all done the other way around."

"You'll stay away from her," Karin hissed, lips dangerously curled. Sakura placed a hand on her friend's shoulder but Karin didn't flinch or acknowledge the touch. If she had to, Sakura was prepared to pull Karin back. "Sakura, what is she doing here?"

"Karin, Ino's my friend and-"

"No!" Karin's snap was loud, echoing throughout the kitchen, "No, she's not your friend, she's a backstabbing bitch and she's not someone you can trust. Maybe you don't remember what she did, but some of us still do."

"I remember better than you, Karin. I was the one that was actually there," Sakura said, hand still in place, "And I didn't say I trusted her yet, but I've forgiven Ino and I want to make things work again."

"Why? You were the only sane person when I went back to-" She swallowed suddenly, looking back to Ino before speaking again. "When I made my second mistake, and in hindsight and I can't believe I was so stupid. How is this different?"

"I'm not going to rape her and emotionally abuse the common sense out of her," Ino hissed, angry at the comparison.

Sakura had to hug Karin back because the redhead lunged at the mention of her high school failures. Emotions were high as wounds came to the surface to be picked at and be prodded.

Sakura hissed an admonishment at Ino before calling out to Karin again. She tried to pull her friend back, but her arms were still bruised from the dream where they pulled blood out from the hallows of her elbows. Karin bumped her and Sakura hissed in pain, making the redhead freeze and turn in apology. Sakura ignored the pain and grabbed her friend by the face, calling out to her.

"Karin, please, don't let this hurt you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, okay."

"Shut up," Karin seemed incapable of speaking in anything but hisses. Her anger was a pressure on her words, forcing them out like bullets from a gun. "You're not the one who needs to apologize! You forgive everyone for everything and you're going to end up bleeding for it one day! You're such an idiot!"

Karin slapped Sakura's hands away and stood, not bothering to look at Ino as she shoved her way out. The front door slammed hard enough to shake the whole house and Ino winced. The two girls shared a look and Sakura felt her heart hurt again.

"Yeah," Ino said in a slow tone. "That could have gone better."

The next night she dreamed, there was already a black hair lasso around her neck. She jerked and the cord tightened around her throat, pulling her upwards. Not a lasso, a noose.

Her mouth opened wide and she turned over, tightening the braided hair around her neck again and again, tugging violently on the line to drag down whoever it was on the other end. She saw a shadow and what looked like a leg start to enter the water before spastic thrashing and foaming waters. The black cord around her neck went slack and she yanked on it, pulling it free until it was loose enough to slip out of.

She swam back and turned sharply in the waters, circling around the shadows that hovered overhead. Kabuto had lied to her, he had no intentions of bringing Toby to her. A song wasn't anything to him. She couldn't trust him, and she couldn't manipulate him, he was-

Sakura stopped circling, recognizing more than one shape above the waters. The tank had an open top that was long and wide with only one side being covered to make a platform for others to stand on. Sakura swam to the opposite end of the tank and surged upwards to break the surface. She felt the stink of clean air burn at the gills on her neck and had to pull away, hiding the bottom half of her face beneath the water, leaving her eyes and ears exposed. It wasn't Kabuto who had tried to pull her out.

"You're an imbecile," the woman hisses, smacking the back of the blond boy's head. "Get out of here, you're useless!"

The blond hissed at the mark on his face from her hand, glancing sideways at Sakura. 

"But she's recovered, it's not safe for you." The woman Sakura recognized as Anko rolled her eyes. She wore a silvery wrap dress and hid her hair in a stylish turban, the kind lounging women in smoke houses sported. 

"I can handle myself. Don't forget who you're talking to, Shi. Get out of here, and make sure Kabuto doesn't come in. He's worse than the others when it comes to this thing."

Shi looked like he wanted to protest, but then Anko glared at him with eyes that flashed amber like a snake's, and he was running for the door. Only once did he stop to look back, but he was gone before Anko could yell at him again. The doors echoed a heavy thud as he closed and locked them behind him.

Sakura felt danger ripple over her skin, but kept her body still, knowing she was stronger and better prepared as long as she was in the water. Anko sighed, her body sagging with the entire breath, before she shifted her dark eyes over to her form. A grin as wicked as they come split her face.

"I thought we'd never be alone. Kabuto's proven more attached than anticipated, but maybe that is what Hayate wanted. He's played with this world longer than any of the others."

Sakura felt the ripples in her bones. She pushed up, her mouth coming above the waters. 

"What do you know of Hayate?" Anko laughed, placing a hand on her hip and popping it.

"You've been spoiled. I heard in the last Kingdom your lovesick pet killed off the dream killer before he could find you. Hayate's nothing like Kimimaru, but I assure you, that's nothing to be proud of from where I stand."

"You're the dream killer." Sakura's eyes widened and she found herself mentally screaming for Sai again, or for Kakashi to come save her. 

Anko reached up and tugged on the knot of her turban. A jeweled pin fell free and the silky fabric fluttered down around her ankles as the coils of her hair became unbound. A second later, Sakura saw that the coils of her hair weren't made up of actual hair. Green and lavender speckled snakes curled over her skull, dangling from her crown and over her shoulders. Some were larger than the others, some were hissing, some looked like they were still sleeping, and others wandered wherever they could.

"A gorgon," Sakura breathed, remembering the tale of Medusa. A gorgon was going to try and kill her.  _ Perfect _ .

"The last kingdom should have had a samurai with gold eyes, hunting and stalking for your flesh. He wore my master's crest on his breastplate with pride. He would have delighted in your death, but that will be my honor. For my master, whom I exist to serve, I will do what needs be done."

"You're not really working for Kabuto, are you?" Sakura guessed, pushing at the waters and backing up from the ledge as far as she could. She had teeth, and while her nails weren't anything to boast about anymore, her grip was strong. If Anko entered the water, Sakura had a fair chance. She believed she could take Anko. She believed she could win. Even as a weak thing, she could survive.

"Not remotely, which is why I didn't want him finding out about our chat. He's supposed to be busy today, so it's just perfect, isn't it?" Anko's grin was face splitting. Sakura could see fangs too. Anko was just as wild and dangerous as Orochimaru.

"Stop!" Sakura said, pulling herself as far as she could. "Turn around and leave here." Anko laughed, and it was spine tingling. 

"Not going to work on me. I'm not someone who you can bewitch with that simple thrall. Kids and men with overactive imaginations might be more in danger than most, but I'm more monster than you could ever be. Don't try it."

"Don't underestimate me. I haven't come this far on nothing." Sakura bared her own teeth, feeling edges that traveled down her throat.

"No, you've come this far on the efforts of your dead friends. Without them… you are nothing." Anko reached up into her hair and twisted a small black and green snake around her fingers. It hissed with a flat face before she yanked hard and freed it from her skull with hiss that was neither from pain or fear. Sakura swallowed, seeing it writhe on Anko's wrist.

"Hayate was good for something though, you're not going to live through this."

Sakura cursed as the snake fell from Anko's hand, turning over and over till it was righted. It swam for Sakura and she dove to avoid it's path. It followed, of course, and while she was faster, there was nowhere she could go to run from the poisonous thing. She turned over herself, spinning like a corkscrew in a corner before launching her body at the snake, aiming for it's neck with her hand. She caught it before it could bite her, and before she knew what she was doing, she was stretching it till its body was taunt. Her jaws ached as she tore the snake apart, staining the waters around her in clouds of blood.

She was a savage thing in the waters that no one saw to fear. She was stained in snake blood now, and it was washing away, but her teeth still remembered it. She looked up, ready to snarl or swim up and maybe try to drag Anko down into the waters where she could rip her apart too, but when she threw her head back, the second snake was there at her throat. She ripped that one apart as well, but not before it could deposit the promise of death from it's curved fangs. She felt the black veins spreading through her pale skin from the injection sites and clawed at them as if that could help. The curse inside of her held strong. She wouldn't survive this. There was no more healing left for her.

Anko was gone when Sakura swam to the surface. She could already feel the snake's venom in her body, making it weak. She grabbed the edge of the platform and pulled, her body following slowly. She gasped aloud as her gills came in contact with the air, but pulled harder, rolling forward.

She was going to die, and she couldn't let that happen.

Most of her tail was out, and when she rolled one more she was completely exposed on the surface of the platform. She stung all over, but she was dying, and pain wasn't something she could care about. She was bit in the throat, she knew she had minutes before her heart stopped. Anko was gone, but she left the door open ajar, and that was all Sakura needed.

She screamed till her insides felt like shreds. Maybe in between her screams she was able to say something like 'help me,' because that's what her mind was screaming, but all she could think about was making her throat ache.

She was going to die…

Again.

How many times had she cheated herself out of death now? How many times had she come so close to not waking up again? How many more times would she almost die? She wasn't even remotely close to finding the Obelisk in this world. How much longer could she survive like this?

"HELP ME!"

There were more than just Kabuto crowding around her, but he was the only one she cared about. It was hard to see, the film over her eyes from when she dove underwater kept slipping up when she cried and with so many tears on her face, she wondered if the film would ever slip back down. Kabuto was blurry, but she found him, he was the one touching her neck, tracing the black veins under her skin. He was the only one who could do anything for her.

"The curse. You need to peel it back now," she hissed, not knowing if he would follow her orders because there were no black pearls in his ears, or because he didn't want her to die. His eyes were wide, and she honestly felt moved by his fear in a backwards part of her mind where she was allowed to care about things other than dying.

Someone was throwing a blanket over her, rolling her in it, wrapping her up and there were arms all under her, carrying her back to the office with the tub where Kabuto had kept her just yesterday. 'That seemed so long ago.'

She felt the hard surface press her dorsal fin down and it was awkward, but she didn't move. She was losing that ability. Her fingertips tingled. There were black vines running across her vision.

She turned her head to the side and saw Toby at the edge of the room, standing with only one guard to hold him back by the wrist. He looked just as frightened as the last time she saw him.

Her thoughts ran into a wall and died when she felt Kabuto's magic in her brain, seeping deeper into herself, passing through the limits of her physical body, touching her soul. That's what Kabuto was, not a necromancer, but a magician of some sorts, not an alchemist, maybe a wizard? She couldn't find a word for it, but he was also something darker. A warlock, a witch?

His invisible fingers were pressing up against the curse and she stiffened. The scab over the curse that protected her from illness throbbed painfully. If only it was pulled back she would be fine. He curled his nails under the scab and she choked on the breath when her lips formed the words, 'yes, yes' over and over again. She was close.

But then Kabuto was everywhere at once, picking at all the different edges of her curse and pulling.

Wrong.

The black vines across her vision were sprouting red berries, the world was white, and snow made drifts to bury dead maidens with their lovers. She saw white and black and red all around her, and then her hands were dripping with silver, a devil circled a shack in the woods and staring into the windows sagging with age. Her silver hands dripped stars into the wood of the floor as a chalk circle blocked the devil out. There were men with antlers stretching far out from the crown of their heads. They watched with eager eyes, bound by a circle of stones. Nothing she saw made sense, but she knew fear made everything taste like copper and blood in her mouth.

The world unraveled and every thread became a trail of grain and she was drowning in sand. The world was shaking and nothing was still or soft. Everything was hard and loud and angry.

Wrong.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. WRONG!

She was awake in her bed, trapped in an immobile body.

She was on the table surrounded by faces.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

The world was coming apart around her and the sun was rising in the world of the waking. She was lost, cast adrift between worlds and for a moment she worried this was what her death would be like when the curse claimed her.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

The world was on fire all around her, and it wasn't the fire of St. Petersburg or of London's fire from 1666, it was the fire of an angry man. She was back on the table, but the curse was still bleeding out inside of her as the scab hurried to cover the core of her curse, the other parts were left bare, her ability to summon weapons, her ability to heal.

She was on the floor, surrounded by debris and watching as the room around her burned. The things that surrounded her were familiar. She saw her Scrimshaw sword, the armor from when she fought Sai in the Kingdom of Beasts, her rifle from the Monarch Woods. Her brass knuckles, a dress made out of starlight, shoes and knives all summoned by her in the past.

"Sakura!"

She didn't know if she was breathing. That was Kakashi. The others, the men she never identified as well as Toby, were all gone. Only Kabuto stood over her, looking haggard and worn out. His fingers were bleeding. He felt Sakura move beside him and turned to cover her mouth with his hand, eyes wide and frantic. Something had happened to the dimensions when her curse had been pulled back. Kakashi was here now, they had found her.

Kabuto pulled his hand away from her mouth and Sakura saw his hand was stained with red. She felt it on her chin, too, but wasn't from his hands. She had blood all down her throat, pooling under her tongue.  _ Her _ blood. Kabuto was cursing and moving to tie her up in wrappings again. She felt smaller and wondered if she was lighter too.

In the distance she could hear Obito screaming too. He had found Toby. There were other voices too. She almost recognized them too. She was broken all inside, she could feel it, and even though she wasn't in danger of dying from Anko's snake bite, there was something else wrong with her. Kabuto was cursing.

"This is all wrong. Anko, damn her. We've lost the children already. Shino! Darui! Someone help me!"

But the person showing up in the doorway was on four legs. Bull barked, sounding to the other members of his pack and soon there were hounds rushing in. Bull was alive. He was scarred nearly everywhere and missing an eye now, but he was alive. Kabuto cursed again and grabbed her scrimshaw sword. There was Jade in between the designs on the handle, a detail she hadn't remembered from before.

Kakashi was nearly all beast in the doorway, tearing it away like it was foam and not polished wood. Sakura doubted he was capable of speech, but he growled and the two began to dance with swords and claws. They were nearly too fast for her eyes to track, but she uncurled an arm from the blankets she had been wrapped up in and turned onto her side, letting her dorsal fin free. There was lightning when they clashed and Kabuto's blood was burning.

There was an explosion from somewhere behind them, and the two separated to opposite ends of the room. Kakashi was closer to Sakura, but his back was to her while Kabuto could see her clearly from behind the lupine creature. The witch boy's eyes were wide with anger and desperation. He wouldn't win. Sakura felt her lips and knew they were moving even though her voice was all but gone. 'Run,' she mouthed.

And he did.

Some of Kakashi's dogs took off after the boy, but they wouldn't catch him. Kakashi knew that too, but he didn't appear to care. He turned on his heel and fell down beside her, hands running through her hair and down her face, searching for signs of injury. He saw the black veins at her neck that were still fading and growled. She shook her head, trying to smile and let him know she was fine.

"Sakura," he breathed, looking ready to cry. "I'm so sorry." His wolfish features faded and he was her Kakashi again. 

Sakura touched his face with her hand, barely feeling it and mouthed, 'home.'

He gathered her up in the blanket Kabuto had begun to swaddle her in and lifted her easily. Sakura tried to wrap her arms around his neck but her arms wouldn't work that long so she settled for snuggling against his chest. She was broken, but she was going to be okay. Kakashi was running with her in his arms out of the house, towards the front where the other Uchiha were burning the place to toothpicks. She could hear them. They would be there soon.

A gunshot brought Kakashi to his knees and Sakura tumbled out of his arms as the blood leaked from his chest. Sakura screamed, seeing the blond boy Shi standing at the end of the hall with a pistol in his hands. He shot three more times, missing her by a hair before his gun jammed. She heard him curse. Shi glared at her and then turned and ran as the flames jumped up too high between them for him to cross

Kakashi had been shot and hit twice. One in the arm just below the shoulder, on in the chest closer to his collarbone. She could feel his breath, but it was shallow.

No, this wasn't fair. They had won, they were so close to exit. They were supposed to go home together. Kakashi was bleeding out at her hands and she was mute and crippled. She was crying, her hands rolling him over to put pressure on the wound. She didn't know if it would kill him, but she would be damned if she didn't at least try to save him when it was her fault he had been shot at in the first place. That boy had been trying to kill her.

She wanted to call his name, but she couldn't. She was nothing but blood and teeth inside. The fire was growing hotter and higher all around them, the smoke making the hallways dark. Toby was safe, they wouldn't come back for her, would they? It was getting harder to breathe, and already Kakashi's breaths were shallow.

'Sai, please,' she found herself praying, even though she knew there was no way he would show.

She was going to die. Worse this time around, Kakashi was going to die because of her.

The smoke flickered, or maybe it was just her vision. Things were getting darker.

She felt the wind over her naked back and looked up, feeling lead shift around in her head. She was so heavy, she could barely move anymore. The flames were everywhere and the smoke was choking.

She hadn't seen him in a long time, but she remembered Madara Uchiha with a mane full with blackness and eyes blazing red in the firelight. He stood over them, and it was the last thing she saw before her vision cut out.


	9. The Man Made of Fire

**Kingdom of Monsters**

**The Man Made of Fire**

* * *

_ "Feet don't fail me now take me to the finish line. Oh my heart it breaks every step that I take. But I'm hoping that at the gates they'll tell me that you're mine." _

_ "Come and take a walk on the wild side, let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain. You like your girls insane. Choose your last words, this is the last time…. Cause you and I…" _

_ She looked down and saw that his eyes were glass. _

_ "…Oh, we were born to die." _

Her dreams were a mess for two nights. She tried to make sense of them, but they were fragmented pictures from stories and fairytales. Nothing made sense, and it was dizzying for a few minutes before she spent the rest of her sleep in a state that didn't recognize time. Her rests seemed to last less than a minute, but when she woke up a whole night had passed.

The third night was not like the two previous.

Sakura woke in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by wine colored sheets and rich mahogany. She stretched her hand up above her head and her knuckles hit the headboard of her four post bed before she pulled her hand away. She was hidden from the rest of the world behind curtains of emerald green and gold embroidery.

She remembered how fine the house had been when Kabuto had her captive, and she felt fear in her breastbone. She reached for the edge of the bed, twisting around and a jolt up her spine froze her in place. Her legs were lead weights under the covers and she remembered even more from the days prior. She had a tail last she dreamed. Was that still true?

The sheets came away easily enough, but so did the loose scales and white debris from her transformation. She was human again, with two creamy white legs that looked like they had never seen the sun. Her toenails were perfect and baby pink in a way she had never seen them before. Sakura reached forward to touch her legs and felt old skin peel up under her hand like dried gum. The remnants of her tail…it had taken her two days to turn back into a human and regrow legs, and by the feel of it, she wasn't done.

When she tried to sit up and pull her legs up, nothing happened. She could feel her legs, she wasn't paralyzed, but it was like trying to move something that wasn't there. It was the most bizarre sensation. It was almost as if she didn't have any muscles in her legs at all.

"No," she breathed aloud, recognition dawning. Her throat ached with rawness but at least it was working.

If she had to grow new legs, the muscles still weren't built up. She was no more sturdy than a baby. She was practically crippled. Without her ability to summon or even walk now, the situation looked worse and worse. Nothing Hayate said about this being fair was true.

"Kakashi!"

Sakura pulled the covers back and forced herself to move from her hips. The edge of the bed was close enough for her to crawl towards. She grabbed at the curtains to pull them back before struggling to keep from falling forward. Her four poster bed must have been mounted on several mattresses, since she was higher than expected. If she fell from this height, it might hurt something.

She thought of the fire and of Kakashi and how in her head, she had been singing his song for him as the blood leaked out. She could still feel his blood on her hands. It wouldn't leave her alone. She had to get to Kakashi, legs be damned. Kakashi had to be alive. Hayate wouldn't be so cruel to her after all that she's suffered and lost. Kakashi couldn't be dead too!

Just as she predicted, she fell from the bed with a long thud and felt her ribs bruise. Maybe it would look nasty under her nightgown, maybe not. It didn't matter. Kakashi mattered. She had messed up again and as a result someone else was probably dead.

Her arms worked, and the rest of her body wasn't so heavy that she couldn't drag it behind her as she crawled across the floor to the door. The hardwood offered little friction and it was easy enough to make it to the exit. There was little else in the room that blocked her path.

Sitting up she reached for the door handle and tugged back, finding it locked. She panicked and tugged again. This time the lock gave out and the door swung open easily. She was halfway out into the hallway before her ribs pinched painfully and she felt the need to stop and catch her breath. There was something metallic in her mouth coming up from her throat and she pressed her lips, recognizing the taste.

Her legs weren't the only thing still recovering.

Too tired and broken to move, Sakura lay in the doorway, her hips angled across the threshold with her legs stuck inside and the rest of her body sprawled outside the room. Sakura felt the smooth grain of the hardwood under her hand and looked out over her arm to see how white her skin was in comparison to the rich cherry wood. Her whole body was pale, there was so little of her left in one piece, it felt like.

She didn't want this. She wanted to be strong again. She wanted to be able to fight again and hurt things and protect people. She had been powerful once. Now her abilities were pitiful and she was suffering for it along with Kakashi and who knows who else. If she had been strong when she first recognized Kabuto none of this would have happened.

Through the floor she felt vibrations and then seconds later she heard the footsteps. Someone called out her name in a panicked voice. She forced her eyes open enough to see through the lashes as a pair of shoes came to a sudden halt in front of her before his knees hit the ground.

Shisui turned Sakura over carefully and then lifted her onto his lap, keeping her head elevated. She looked at his face once before closing her eyes again.

"What were you doing?" He adjusted her so that his arms could cradle her closer to his body. "You could have seriously hurt yourself. You're still recovering and only just finished transitioning."

"Where… Kakashi…?" Sakura tasted the blood in the back of her mouth but kept her jaw tight as she whispered the words.

"He's alive, he's still unconscious but he didn't die. You can't do anything for him now, and it would kill him to see you like this. We need to get you back to bed, hold on."

He slipped another hand out from around her shoulders to cup the underside of her frail legs. He lifted her like she was nothing and carried her back to the bed. With his shoulder, he pushed back the curtains around the bed enough so that he could slip Sakura in. She moved to grab the covers, but Shisui was faster than that. She made a displeased sound and he chuckled.

"This is your first time waking up, i'll have to tell someone. What do you need? Can you handle food? I'll bring water."

Her eyes were still heavy, so she shook her head before turning her face away and burrowing into the pillow. It was warm and her body wasn't, so she curled into it as far as she could. Shisui chuckled at the sight behind her until she coughed.

The sheets were already red, but it was still easy enough to see the darker splotches of red where they dropped. Sakura covered her mouth and more blood seeped through her fingers as another bout of coughs shook her ribs loose. She felt like a rattle.

Shisui was back with a wet cloth to wipe away the blood on her face and hand before dabbing at the stains to her bed. He pulled out an additional set of pillows and propped them up behind her head, so she hardly reclined. She felt better for it, but still wanted warmth.

Shisui was whispering hushed words into her ear saying things like, 'it'll be fine,' and 'that a girl,' and 'don't worry' among other things. When he pulled away, his eyes stayed fixated on her, wide with worry. It wasn't what she was used to seeing from the more casual Uchiha. Everyone else called him cunning and sly, he just looked young and worried to her.

"I'm going to come back with a doctor and some water. If you can't eat solids yet, I'll have them make soup."

Not trusting her voice, Sakura just nodded before closing her eyes again. It seemed like only seconds, but minutes later she felt the approach of Shisui again with another person trailing close behind. A third person followed the duo, and Sakura stiffened at how clear the presence felt within her. Her sense of perception was heightened for some reason. When she opened her eyes, she could see their shadows through the curtains around her bed. The third one… the third one was new.

Shisui pulled the curtain back, and a shorter Uchiha woman with perfectly pressed hair coiffed at the neck leaned in to check Sakura's eyes, before turning her head to the side and inspecting the bruises around her neck where her gills should have been. When the woman pressed against one of the bruises, Sakura hissed.

"You're hurting her," Shisui exclaimed, reaching forward to stop the woman, but another hand held him back. Sakura turned her face around to see who it had been and narrowed her eyes.

"Let Mai do her job," Itachi intoned, his voice deep and smooth like the unexplored ocean. Shisui's expression darkened. 

"You can let go of me, I'm not some wild renegade you have to watch out for. I wasn't going to interfere."

"Hn. You should be grateful for the chance just to be here. Madara was very specific about how she was to be cared for, and his instructions included minimal contact with the other Uchiha until he could make an appearance." Itachi released his cousin and Shisui stumbled back a bit.

Though older, Shisui eyed his younger cousin wearily with evident respect. For where she watched, even Sakura could see who was clearly in charge between the two of them. Shisui nodded to his cousin and then averted his eyes. 

"I understand. You don't have to lock me out like Kagami or the others. Madara was pretty serious if he even banned Toby."

"He was." Itachi nodded once. 

Sakura felt a tongue depressor press against her lips and opened up, only to nearly gag when the wooden stick touched the raw part of her throat and triggered another coughing fit where blood painted her lips. The woman was quick to react, and had a glass of water in front of Sakura's face to take. The younger woman drank greedily. When she pulled the glass away she felt strong enough to speak.

"Where is Kakashi, and the others? Who made it out?"

The woman named Mai moved away to prepare something off to the side, so Shisui knelt down beside the edge of her bed, short enough that he had to stare up at her through his full Uchiha lashes. 

"You can't think of yourself, can you? They're all fine. We rescued Toby and the other children, as well as the Kyuubi brats from the pier. They were easy to find. Why did Kabuto have you separated from the rest?"

Sakura flinched, reaching out without thinking to cover the inside of her left elbow with her hand, remembering the needle that was inserted there one too many times. She remembered other things too, like the snakes and the tank where she almost always felt like drowning. She remembered the way they shredded her tail for scales and stole her blood. Then there was the way Kabuto tugged at her curse, peeling it off like an old scab only to have the whole thing roar in fury and backfire on him. Itachi moved forward and touched his cousin's shoulder. 

"That is enough, you're scaring her. Such memories will not promote rest. Mai, do you have food for her yet?" Shisui frowned, still looking at Sakura. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered, eyes wide with apology. Sakura shook her head and felt the damp stands of her hair hit her jaw.

"He was… it… they wanted my blood. They kept taking it."

"She's lost a lot of it too, she needs to eat in order to regain her strength. Move," Mai said, elbowing her way past Shisui to place a tray across Sakura's lap. "Can you hold a spoon?" Sakura grabbed the spoon and turned it over in her hand between her fingers. 

"It's my legs that aren't working. My hands are fine."

Mai nodded before pulling the sheets back and looking over Sakura's legs while the girl in question ate. Itachi watched from a distance while Shisui attempted to scoot closer, throwing his elbows onto the edge of her bed and leaning forward. He grinned at her, and Sakura felt self conscious.

"If I asked what happened, would you tell me?" she said.

"You should eat first," Mai interrupted, nodding towards the bowl of broth that was still steaming ever so slightly. Chunks of vegetables bobbed along the surface. A second later Itachi spoke. 

"Madara will have that discussion with you at a later time. I will let him know you are awake. Shisui, you should leave once you are done. He will want privacy."

Shishu grumbled under his breath but didn't reply. Itachi didn't wait on a response and turned to leave before anyone could say anything to him. A minute later, Mai dropped a cloth napkin onto the tray and bowed stiffly before departing as well. Once the sound of the door closing echoed, Shisui turned to her with a brand new smile that swallowed up half his face.

"…Don't trust you," Sakura muttered under her breath, feeling flames in her throat when she tried to speak. His smile didn't leave his eyes as his lips curled into a boyish pout. 

"Aw, no, don't be like that. I don't know what Obito or Kagami said, but I'm not all that bad really. What did they say, anyway?"

Sakura just shook her head before scooping up a spoonful of soup and leveling it with her mouth to blow on before sipping. It was still too hot and she pulled away sharply, dropping the spoon back into the bowel of broth and reaching for her water. Beside her, Shisui made a soft cooing sound, like he was trying to shush her. She felt his hand brush the side of her hair. He was petting her.

Sakura set her glass down loudly and then turned to glare at the Uchiha. He wasn't in a uniform today, but his shirt and trousers were neat and flattering to his solid figure preserving his air of authority. 

"They said to be careful around you. I shouldn't trust you."

"That's a terrible thing to say without reason. They didn't really tell you why, did they?"

"You're dangerous."

"We're all dangerous, darling. We're monsters, don't you remember?"

Sakura looked away. She hadn't forgotten. She could still feel the hollow bones inside her legs and remembered better than ever what had happened to her in this world. Beside her, Shisui played with a wrinkle in the bedsheets next to her hip. He would glance up at her and the stare back down at his wrinkle, waiting for her to say something. When she didn't, he sighed.

"Okay, I'm not asking you to trust me or tell me your life story or nothing like that, how about we just be friendly, eh? I won't hurt you. You can believe that at least." Sakura eyed her soup, reaching for the spoon again. 

"Are you going to let me go back to Obito and Kakashi? Will you let me leave?"

"You need to rest, you can't go anywhere now." He sat up stiffly.

Sakura remembered what Kakashi had said about the nature of Uchiha, and of the dangers associated with catching their interests. Uchiha didn't share well, and were greedy bastards in many ways. Her hand stilled over the spoon, fingers wrapped loosely around the handle. 

"You're not going to let me go at all, are you?"

"N-not until you're better at least. Kakashi too. He's still unconscious, but we have a specialist on staff here for the family. He's getting the best care a lycanthrope could ask for, and that's saying something. There aren't many people alive who could or who would help such a special patient, and we also needed someone with a background in marine monsters. However did you get on? They're so difficult to track down."

It took a moment more for Sakura to realize that Shisui was talking about her when he mentioned marine monsters. She was a mermaid. She was a monster.

"I appreciate that, Shisui," she answered, using his name purposely. He seemed to melt a bit at the sound of it.

She wasn't as powerful as she once was, now that she was crippled and bound by Hayate's rules, but she did have some abilities, and she was going to use them to their fullest. She was tired of being helpless.

She closed her eyes and lifted her spoon before dropping it back into her soup with a quiet sigh, her eyes fluttering and her head bobbing. Shisui was more than attentive. She felt his hand on her shoulder as he leaned forward.

"Sakura, are you alright. What's wrong?" Sakura waited, counting her heart beats before opening her eyes again and meeting his gaze. 

"I'm tired, but I'm hungry. I want to just sleep."

"You can't, you're still weak from the blood loss. You need to eat to regain your strength."

Without further prompting, Shisui took a seat beside her and grabbed the spoon from her hand. He scooped out a portion of clear broth without veggies and blew on it before pressing the tip to her lips. She accepted it without further prompting and he filled another spoonful to repeat the process. Sakura let herself feel tired and it showed as Shisui spoon fed her bit by bit until the soup was halfway gone.

The heat was gone and now the broth came to her lukewarm and she knew she wanted no more, so she turned her face away and nestled into the covers. Shisui chided her, but took the tray away so she could lay down without obstruction. She tried to stretch her legs out, but it was like moving smoke, there was nothing to grab on to, and nothing she could use to move her legs. She strained, willing her legs to move and her toes to curl, and something shifted, but then there was lightning racing up her spine and pain flaring up under her legs. She hissed and the recoil caught Shisui's attention right away.

"Don't move. You haven't finished growing back your human legs. This will take longer than what you're used to because of the blood loss. Shh, don't move, I know you want to but you have to rest or else you'll be on bedrest longer."

Sakura turned her face into the pillow, biting the side of her cheek and forcing her mind to turn over the pain. She wasn't going to die from this, she had to stop thinking like she was in pain. She was going to be fine, she was okay.

She heard Shisui chuckle and turned to glare at him, but found herself blushing when she saw what made him so pleased. She hadn't even noticed it, but apparently during her spasm Sakura had grabbed onto his arms and hadn't let go since. She jerked her hand back fast and folded it to her chest, looking away.

"Fine, you can go now. I don't need your help anymore." His voice was grumbled, echoed and muffled by the pillows. 

"Ah, I think it would be a better idea if I stayed here with you. We wouldn't want you to be alone in case something happened and you needed help right away, you know." He hadn't left the bed and was still sitting on the edge with one knee closer to her hip than the rest of him. When she looked at him, he was still smiling.

"I want to sleep."

"Then you should sleep," he said in a voice that was almost a laugh, "Do you need me to tell you a bedtime story?"

Sakura just grumbled louder and snuggled deeper into her pillow.

"Mmm, but if you're asleep when Madara gets here, he'll be pissed as punch with me. Ho, I wonder how much I care right now." He waited for her to say something, but all she did was peak out from her pillow and glare at him. He laughed in response and scooted closer to her. "Not very much. Alright, I'll tell you a story, but you have to stay awake to hear the end of it. It's a bedtime story, yeah?"

Sakura groaned again and the laugh was quieter from him in response.

"No, now listen up. Uchiha have a lot of enemies, so they knew to have friends where they can and to treat these friends well, that is the Uchiha way. While still monsters, the Uchiha were not unjust in their own way. One of these members was a boy who went by the name Weasel. Weasel had many friends, more than the others, which was surprising because he was sort of an ass in comparison to his cousin."

"I swear to the high heavens if this is about you…"

"Shh, no, just listen. Weasel had friends all over, even in Chicago where the streets were owned by crooked men and monsters just as cruel. Chicago is a windy city, I'm sure you know, and there's always moisture in the air. You can open your mouth and breath in the great lakes until they grow brine on your bones. Itachi didn't much care for the city, but one of his best friends lived there."

Something teased at Sakura and she turned from her pillow to stare at Shisui again, feeling a spring inside her tighten.

"His friend was a shark of sorts, and many men feared him for how powerful and ruthless he could be to those who hurt him and his friends, but as ruthless as this shark man was, he was also sometimes exceedingly kind. His kindness was best seen in the woman he fell in love with."

Something inside of her snapped. The smile was gone from Shisui's words, but they were still somehow teasing.

"He collected people to care for. Runaway boys who were really monsters, demons of the mist who were misunderstood, children with teeth and fins and knives. He cared for them all as best he could. There was one he cared for specially though. The siren who won his heart. She came to them with no other family and they made a place for her. At first it was magical, but the second they set her on the stage, it was all doomed as surely as the days are long. It wasn't long before the shark wasn't the only one in love with her anymore, but others had a harder time keeping it to themselves. Apparently she had lost a lover, and that hurt still lived inside of her, so he knew better than to chase her in that way. He just wanted her close, that's all he wanted."

"The deadly game between hearts went on for months, and then longer. Men would come from miles around to hear her sing and leave behind a bit of their hearts on her stage. Wolves, dogs, monsters, men, it made no difference. She was a terror in a wholly new way."

"Shisui, stop."

"You don't want to hear the end of this story?" Sakura shook her head, closing her eyes.

"I don't want to hear what you have to say. Don't say anything more. I don't want to hear it." Shisui frowned, reaching forward to brush her hair back behind her ear. He let soft breath hiss between his lips and pet her hair down. 

"I'm almost done. I'm sorry. Don't cry for it."

"I'm not crying." She wasn't, but at the same time, she had no doubt that soon she would be if she felt like such crap much longer. She didn't want to hear about the story she hadn't truly been a part of. It was all Hayate's idea. None of this was real or her fault.

"She was happy, and they were happy for having her there. Good things never last forever, but the same can be said for bad things. They lived in peace for a long while, and she grew from girlhood into something more. One day a man was honest with her and she was honest back. She couldn't love him, and she was ashamed of it, so she left. The others were devastated, but there was nothing they could do. She needed to be safe. So she traded her bleeding heart in for a pair of broken legs and cradled the fears of a young boy when the world was breaking her back. She did wondrous things and was loved for it. As long as she would live in her long life, she would always be a family member to the Uchiha."

"That wasn't a story."

"I'm not done."

Sakura closed her eyes and pretended she was drawing the curtains around her bed and blocking out everything. She wanted a true rest for once. Nothing about this world was fair. 

"Shisui, I'm tired, don't tell me anything more. I want to rest."

"If that is what you want." His voice was still soft while hers was hard.

"It is, please draw the curtains on your way out."

"As you wish." Shisui hummed, tracing the outline of her skull through her hair. 

She felt the bed shift as his weight left the mattress. He was up and tugging on the curtains, making the brass rings jungle on the rod when she remembered something. Sakura turned suddenly in bed and Shisui froze, watching her. 

"Wait, you never said who it was who confessed to the girl."

"I never gave any of them names. It's a story, Sakura." He pulled the curtains back and she was alone again. With nothing else she could do, Sakura laid back down in the sheets and tried to sleep.

Maybe moments passed, but when she opened her eyes again the lights were lower, and she knew time had passed. She could still feel the image of the poppies she had been thinking of only moments before, still behind her eyes. She was nearing the end of her dream cycle. Soon, she would be waking up for real in her world. She would be back to reality soon, but not yet.

She stilled as soon as she felt the hairs on the back of her arms stand on end. The air around her was ionized and primed for danger. She held her breath, sensing the figures beyond the curtains. There were more than two of them, but only two voices could be heard whispering back and forth. With her eyes shut tight in fake sleep, she strained to hear every word.

"When are you going to let her know?"

"I don't think that would be a wise option right now. I want to wait till Madara comes back."

"Why? He's not the one who will be making the decision for her. What does he have to do with any of this?"

"He's the one I serve and the one who pays me, in case you forgot."

"You're disgusting. She should have a right to know this and make the choice for herself."

"I told you- we don't even know if she'll need to make such a choice. These types of recovery are rare, I don't know what will happen to her at this point because I don't even know everything that happened to her. For all I know, they could have mangled her for life or just plucked a few toenails. It's too soon to tell, she could make a full recovery."

"But if she doesn't, what then?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Don't worry needlessly, just do your job and I'll do mine."

"But-"

"No. I don't ask so many useless questions. Who cares why Madara wants her so protected? Just do as you're told."

There were footsteps and Sakura felt a draft as a curtain moved from beside her; someone was pulling back the curtains to look in. There was a dip in the mattress beside her, and then the presence was beside her, pulling at her arm. Her sleeves were rolled up and she twitched when she felt the needle.

If Sakura had been sleeping she might have reacted differently, but Sakura made her spine a rod of steel and set her jaw to keep from reacting any more. A second later, the metal was gone from her arm and Mai was rolling down her sleeve and buttoning it at the cuff so as to leave behind no evidence of her visitation.

The mattress eased up again, and Sakura felt the weight leave and the curtain close. The darkness grew beyond her eyelids and she risked a peak. There were old fashioned oil lamps dimmed down low at the end of the room casting the smudged shadows of two figures; one was tall and one was petite and slim as a rail.

"Is she going to be okay?" That was Shisui's voice. She recognized his outline.

"Sleep is the best thing for her."

"Even with a dream curse?"

"I don't believe that. It's something else. Whatever Kabuto was messing with, I doubt it has too much to do with her. If he was looking for a catalyst, that would make sense since mermaids are so resilient, but that's all she is. You only like her cause she has a pretty face with an enchanted voice." Shisui's voice was hard and defensive, snapping quickly in retaliation. 

"That's  _ not _ how it works. She has to be in her natural form to use her powers. She's human now, no enchantments."

"She may be human, but you're lost if you think she's not enchanting anyone. I've never seen so many Uchiha in a fit for an outsider. Not even Rin was so hot a topic." There was the sound of glass hitting glass and Sakura suspected Mai had picked up a tray with glass objects on top. That's what her shadow looked like it was doing. There was a heavy sigh from the woman next, followed by her voice. "Move, I need to make another dose of this to give her tomorrow morning. My work isn't done."

"When will Madara be back?" Mai's shadow was nearly gone, likely close to the door when her voice called out again. 

"A day… two tops. He won't hunt much longer if he can't sniff them out by now. He'll leave Kagami to it."

"…I'm going to stay here until then."

"Why are you telling me this? I don't care. I won't cover for you or warn you if he's on his way back."

"I don't think he would be too angry with me." Mai laughed.

"Believe that, boy, but he's an Uchiha. When have you ever met an Uchiha who wasn't possessive to the point of madness?"

There was the sound of the door closing next and Shisui's shadow moved to a far corner of the room. Sakura held her breath, listening for any clues, but all she heard was the creak of something wooden and nothing more.

Shisui was somewhere in her room, likely in the corner where Sakura had seen a fainting couch positioned from before when she tried to crawl her way out of the room. Shisui was likely sitting or laying out on the couch, closing his eyes, watching over her. If she moved, would he hear her? If he heard her, would he do anything?

Sakura never sought out those answers. The dream world was slipping away, unraveling on threat at a time before the whole fabric of her constructed reality snapped and fell away.

She woke up feeling hot. It was one of the last hot days of the year before everything quickly fell into chilled winds and late summer storms. There was a heavy sort of humidity in the air that made the moisture feel like a physical weight on her lungs when Sakura breathed in the morning air. It had rained again last night. The soil was still smelling of it, and the dirt parts of her driveway were mud puddles.

When Sakura came downstairs for a quick breakfast, she found Karin sitting in a chair at the kitchen table. A pair of Starbuck iced chai teas sat in a holder in front of her face. She looked up once she saw Sakura.

"If I had known someone would be down here, I would have bothered to put some clothes on,” Sakura lamely commented, tugging at the extra long cami that just barely brushed her thighs. It was too hot and sticky for anything else.

"Have you seen Ino recently?" Karin asked in a hesitant tone.

When Sakura met her eyes, the redhead glanced back at the cups like they were a scapegoat that would allow the wrath of an angry god to pass over her. Sakura was far from an angry god, but she did love overpriced chai teas from Starbucks. Sakura took one of the drinks and sat down before replying.

"No, she's super busy, so we don't hang out much. We're on social media a lot though. She's actually with Ami today, they're doing a photo shoot. They both sounded excited about it, but I think Ami was the one who had stars in her eyes."

"You know I'm sorry, right?"

"And you know I forgive you, right? I forgive everyone, apparently." Karin winced, reaching for her own drink. Karin winced for no one but Sakura. Not even her adopted parents could make her feel guilty for her actions the way Sakura could. 

"That's not such a bad thing. I mean… there are worse vices."

"Yeah," Sakura admitted after a pause. "I guess so." She took a drink from her tea and waited for Karin to speak again. It was apparent the redhead had more to say and would need time to build up the courage to say anything.

"I'm going to try to be okay with this from now on, but I don't know if I can. We're not… Ino and I never could get along, and I doubt that’s something we could do if our lives depended on it, but I'll be civil for your sake. I don't want to lose you."

"Karin, I'm not asking for you to be friends with Ino, if you can't, then it's fine. Friendship isn't always easy, and sometimes between certain people it's… not natural." Sakura winced at some of the memories from high school when Ino and Karin would get into spats. They were opposite elements in all the wrong ways. Two forces of nature out to destroy the same earth first in very different ways. "You don't have to be friends, but let me have this friendship without feeling guilty about it."

"I don't want you to feel guilty, I want you to be safe," Karin almost snapped before remembering who she was talking to. "Sorry, I just… people can be careless sometimes, even when they don't mean to be cruel."

"I think I've learned that lesson already."

"Have you?" Sakura sipped her tea before replying. 

"Just because I don't harden and become bitter, doesn't mean things didn't happen. We all live differently."

"Yeah, but everybody hurts, and you never share that with anyone. Not until after the damage is done."

When Karin looked up at Sakura over the edge of her tea, Sakura felt pinned in place. Karin was saying something else, something that didn't have to do with Ino. Karin was saying she knew something, but wasn't about to call Sakura out on it. Karin wanted Sakura to offer up her story of pain willingly. In less clarity and with a shortage of details, Karin knew about what the Kingdoms were doing to Sakura. How could she not? It was more than waking up in bed covered in blood and dog bites and walking into thorn bushes in the dead of night with cognitive complications, Karin had always been watching Sakura. Karin would always know something.

"I'm sorry," Sakura whispered, finding she had no worthy answer to offer her friend. All she had were stories of dreams.

"Ami says you scream in your sleep sometimes."

Sakura looked up suddenly, eyes wide. Ami had never said anything to Sakura about it. When had she…? Karin waved Sakura's surprised look off with a casual wave. 

"Don't look so struck, she wouldn't tell you if her life depended on it. She values your friendship too much, but she worries almost as much as me. What is making you so afraid?"

She swallowed something hard, knowing that even if Karin let it go this time, this would not be the end of the questions. It had almost been a year since she first opened the Obelisk. A few weeks from now would be the one year anniversary. She had assumed the curse would take up much less of her life after crossing through the Marble Gardens. She thought she would be stronger, better, faster, smarter than the other actors who suffered for years inside their twisted dreams. She had thought herself exceptional because Sai believed she was, but she was only a little more than halfway through and stuck in her struggles to progress any further. One year, and this was all she had to show for it. Summer was wearing out. Soon it would be cold again.

"Karin… it's not something I can put into words."

"You're having nightmares. Look, I just did it for you."

"Karin…" Sakura closed her eyes, "They're not just…nightmares."

After a pause where Karin waited for Sakura to offer up something more, she spoke. 

"Night terrors?" It was hard, but Sakura exhaled and let her body ease. 

"Maybe something like that."

"I want to hear about them."

Sakura's tea was still cold, but the chill that made the bones of her teeth shiver was gone. Now it was just pleasantly refreshing in her mouth. She distracted herself with the taste of the sugar on her lips before moving them in a way to make her words. 

"It started in a garden."

When she woke up in the Uchiha bed, she could feel her legs again, and it was the only thing she could feel. Shock kept her from screaming out as a million and one needles seemed to be growing into the flesh of her legs in a process that was just as painful as it sounded. Sakura opened her hand and bit on her knuckle when she tried to turn one leg over the other. She wanted to cry. It was so painful, but she didn't doubt there was someone else in the room with her. Shisui had been on the couch last she dreamed, maybe he was still there.

This was too much like what she remembered of the Little Mermaid stories she read as a child, the original version by Hans Christian Anderson and not the happy retelling by Disney. In those stories, every step the little mermaid took on her stolen legs woven from sea witch magic was like a thousand knives in her flesh. Yes, this was very much like what the stories said, only there was no way Sakura would be able to dance like this. The little mermaid had been able to walk through the pain and even dance. Not her.

Sakura sucked in a breath and held it before exhaling. She balled her fists into the sheets and pulled herself up into a sitting position. If she didn't try to move her legs, it was fine. She could deal with the stinging when it was dulled. Walking would be an activity for later, if at all.

Within arm's reach there was a glass of water on the nightstand, just outside the curtain. She felt thirsty so she drank half the glass before remembering something she learned about herself. She had an ability she hadn't possessed before. She stared down into the water and watched it swirl.

'Show me Uchihas,' she thought, wondering what she would see.

The ripples spread out further than the limits of the outline of the glass and she could so much more than a fistful of clear water. In a moment she could see a mane of black hair and then another head of black, before it melted away and a new image of an Uchiha flashes in the water. That one lasted half as long before being replaced again and again. The pictures were disjointed and coming too fast she had to tear her eyes away and break the connection.

Asking to see all the Uchiha was a bad idea, it was too much. She needed to focus on one at a time.

"Kagami, show me Kagami." He was the one Obito had told her to be easy around. He was the one they trusted more so than Shisui, and it was apparent he had been kept from visiting based on what she overheard.

A second passed and nothing happened, but then the water rippled and there was an image growing out of the reflection, taking up everything. It was a setting, sparsely decorated with characters. Deep, expensive red and gold and black melted into everything before another layer of focus layered over the picture. Sakura saw the club room in more detail, noticing the gold and crystal chandeliers over the dance floor, and the dim lights that kept the back booths barely lit. There were tables between the booths and the dance floor, and they had their chairs stacked up as another figure moved between them, cleaning with a broom. Another man went around placing things on the tables, dressing things up. They were preparing for the opening. Sakura had seen this before when Obito got ready to open his restaurant, but his room had never been so large and so grand.

Shisui sat in one of the booths, slouching forward on his folded arms. One of his fingers lazily tapped the table topped as his gaze drifted off to something Sakura couldn't see. He seemed distracted. His gaze was unfocused, his posture bored. Someone passed, and he looked up but didn't move.

A minute passed, and Sakura was about to let the image fall apart when a new figure stepped into the setting. He was clear across the room, but Shisui reacted as soon as Itachi stepped through the doorway hidden between sliding walls.

Sakura recognized Itachi, after so many encounters and so many dreams together it was hard not to. All Itachis’ were a little different from each other, and this Itachi was no exception. In the Kingdom of Man, Itachi had been kind but distant, in the Kingdom of Beasts, he had been soft and regretful and haunted by the memory of his other's betrayal. This Itachi… this Itachi was cold and biting, like snow on naked flesh. He wasn't even actually in the room and already Sakura felt intimidated into shivering. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't.

A second later, Shisui hopped into the room behind Itachi, his easy smile in place. Both were wearing their uniforms, and the gold badges caught the light just as well as the double breasted set of buttons. Shisui wore his cap crooked while Itachi carried his under his arm. His hair was as perfectly kept as all the other times she knew him, but his eyes were still dead. Something in her ached.

Kagami stood as they approached the table, and Sakura saw the details of his uniform just as well. His shirt was a bit wrinkled and she guessed he had been there a while. She saw no sign of his cap as he came out from the booth and approached them.

"Well?"

"The only criminals left at large are the woman and Kabuto. Madara uncovered the blond who shot Kakashi and was feasting on him last we saw. I doubt he will be motivated to continue after tonight. You will have to take up the trail in the morning."

Kagami's eyes were hard as he pulled him up to his full height, and Sakura remembered he was the older of the trio. 

"We're letting them run." He was upset, but it wasn't evident by his tone.

"Yes, it sends a message. Kabuto is dangerous, but he is also in debt to a great many people; they will do the work we care not to. Also, the woman is cruel but of no consequence. She is nothing without Orochimaru."

"Even with Orochimaru killed, she will seek vengeance."

"She will try," Itachi smoothly countered, eyes half lidded as his interest in the conversation dropped. "She will fail. The blood has made Madara a sated devil. He wants nothing more than to perch, as do many of our brethren. What is the point of ruling a city if you're constantly fighting to keep it yours?"

"Is that your way of saying to give up?" Kagami asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he tilted his chin up. Shisui glanced between the two but Itachi seemed unfazed.

"I wouldn't know. I don't wear this uniform because I believe in it as you do. I only seek to serve the family. You have the night, Kagami." Itachi moved to brush past his elder cousin and Kagami reached out on a reflex, grabbing Itachi's arm.

"What about Sakura? I asked for the day off so that I could see her when she wakes up. I haven't had a chance "

"She won't wake up. She's regrowing the bones of her legs. The process is extremely painful and will keep her passed out until its completion." Itachi touched Kagami's hand and the elder Uchiha released as if stung. Itachi didn't seem phased by his cousin's reaction or the power he had. "Madara will be back once night falls. Go." Kagami turned his glare to Shisui and the younger had the decency to look ashamed.

"I've been banned from her room as well," Shisui admitted without meeting his cousin's eyes.

"But you were there, weren't you? You saw her, you know how she is. Does she know about Kakashi? What about Toby and Obito? Not even them?" Shisui closed his eyes and lifted his head, pretending to sigh.

"She's not in a condition to entertain children. Kagami, just drop it. You just have a silly crush and that's why you're acting like this."

"And you're any different?" Kagami's tone made Shisui flinch.

"No…" the younger Uchiha admitted after a while. "No, I'm not, but I'm in Madara's favor, and I'm going to play with the card's I've earned. You had a chance to make the Uchiha name proud, and you chose to side with the humans and their laws. Family, at least, will pay you back. What did your justice get you?"

Shisui raised his eyes, and there was a hesitant challenge there. Sakura doubted he took such strong words against his cousin easily, but what she didn't understand, was if it was because Shisui respected Kagami, or feared him in some way. Kagami was older, maybe that's all it was. There was a unique sort of tension between the two of them, like verbal conflicts weren't a common thing.

"She'll run from you. Caged things don't learn to love so easily, if at all." Kagami's returned gaze didn't waver. He wasn't intimidated by his younger cousin. 

"At least she'll be alive and-" Kagami was quick to interrupt. 

"And what? You'll have a shot, a chance at something? You think Madara will allow that? You're just as bad as the rest, we're monsters, not gods."

Something in Sakura snapped and she was unable to keep the image intact. It fell apart in a moment and seconds later she was blinking back the lights behind her eyes. She was back in her bedroom, the curtains were still drawn all around her bed and she was still crippled. The hand that held the glass was shaking terribly, and she felt static running up and down her bones until her hand dropped the glass and what was left of the water spilled across her lap. It wasn't much and it would dry soon, but she wouldn't be able to look again.

Sakura breathed deeply. Her bones were growing in her legs. She tried moving them again and felt the pain. Yes, that made sense. Her bones were young and everything else inside her legs were underdeveloped and new. Yes, it made sense she was in so much pain.

Still, she didn't want to be incapacitated. She could be in pain all night long, but she didn't want to be crippled. She didn't want to be anything less than what she was in the real world. She didn't want to be diminished. They were keeping her from seeing the others, now she knew for sure. They would keep her from Kakashi, even after she recovered, they would find a way to keep her restrained. They were monsters. She couldn't trust them.

She twisted in bed and the pain shot her down. She shifted her legs and then shifted again, provoking the jolts of pain. Each one was just as jarring as the first, but she was getting used to the pain. She would find strength in some way. Maybe she couldn't murder beasts and criminals with swords and guns, but she would find some way to be strong. She was the person Sai believed in.

Sakura felt the edge of the bed and curled her legs over the side before pausing. Her legs were still healing. She could stand the pain now, but if she tried to get up now she could risk compromising her recovery. That wasn't smart. She could be strong without giving up common sense. She would be strong in a different way, strong and smart.

Pulling the covers back, Sakura moved her stinging legs back into position and settled down. When she stretched out the pain didn't seem as bad, but it was still jarring. Whoever told the Uchiha that this would be enough to keep her passed out either didn't know anything or had lied. Whatever the reason, it wasn't good enough to keep Sakura thinking about it long.

She couldn't move, she couldn't use her abilities to see without a source of water, and there was no one coming to check on her anytime soon. Madara didn't want the others visiting her. There was no reason to stay awake, so she closed her eyes and tried to pass the time inside the dream with another dream of disjointed running images pulled from fairytales and fables. When she closed her eyes there was darkness and then there were poppies and stag men and druid stones and words twisted and twirled into a curling text across a cliff face. She felt the mist and something older seep into her bones.

When she opened her eyes, she wasn't in the red and green poster bed, she was in her actual room, awake in the real world. Sakura stretched her legs and didn't feel anything other than a bit of cramping from being tangled up in the sheets. She sat up in bed and then stood to move to the window. She was wide awake.

Something was wrong.

She wasn't supposed to be awake. There had been plenty of time left for her to spend in the dream world and her sleep cycle was nowhere near finished. It was hardly midnight. She had gone to bed maybe an hour and a half ago. It didn't make sense for her to be awake.

She moved to the window and looked out into the back of her yard. There were deer in her yard, dozens of them. Laying down in the center, a trio of wolves dozed. One lifted his head and yawned before lowering his face again. The deer didn't flinch, but stared up at her with their reflective eyes, wide and unblinking.

"Sai," Sakura found herself whispering. "What is going on?" She wanted Sai to come back and explain things to her without being a cryptic ass about it the way Hayate always was. She wanted her friend to come back.

"Don't leave me alone like this." She touched the glass of her window.

The wolf in the center raised his head and suddenly the deer were at attention. There was a tense second when even the insects held their breath before the spell of peace was broken and the animals took flight, spoked off. By the time she finished exhaling, the deer were out of sight and not a trace of the wolves had been left behind. Whatever it meant, she doubted it was a good thing.

Something tickled her lungs and she coughed, feeling her ribs ache. She didn't feel well, and wondered if it was because of the dream. Maybe she had been screaming in her sleep again. Maybe her body was finally breaking down from the stress again. Her mind was a mess. It made sense her body would follow.

Sakura took a trip downstairs, checking to see that Ami was still asleep, and helped herself to a hot drink. Not caring if it kept her up, Sakura pulled a package of instant cider mix from the pantry and stirred it into her mug of warm water with a stick of cinnamon. It was what she needed. Feeling the heat run down her throat past her lungs something felt lighter inside of her. She took her drink into the living room and laid out on the couch. She could watch a few reruns of the Twilight Zone on TV Land or maybe I Dream of Jeanie, whatever it was they had on so late this time of year.

She never got to it though. The second her shoulder hit the couch a pull like gravity sucked her from waking into sleeping. She was falling again, harder and faster than ever before. This time was different. Something was wrong this time. Something wasn't right.

She broke on a gasp, sitting up. Her ribs were pinched like something awful had crushed her in its grip and her lips were dry. Sakura moved and felt the lightning in her bones. Her legs were still stabbing with pain, but since her earlier dream the pain was barely noticeable.

Something else in the room was far more noticeable.

All the curtains around her bed had been pulled back, and heavy moonlight painted the details in highlights of silver. The shape of his face, the flare of his wild mane, the curve of his feathered wings and the twist of his horns, all of it was etched in shadows of black and silver.

Sakura sucked in a breath and scooted backwards as far as she could before her back hit the headboard. Madara Uchiha was standing at the foot of her bed, monstrous in a way she had seen no other Uchiha be. His eyes were red and spinning but when he met her gaze the red faded to black, making him just like the other Uchiha.

Madara Uchiha was not like any of the other Uchiha. To start with, his form was hardly human, from his elbows down his arms were covered in a black stain that ran all the way down to his curved black nails. They were not human nails, and his hands weren't human hands, but something else. They were birdlike and rough, frozen in rigid angles of a predatory ready to snap.

He was unclothed above the band of black trousers, his chest solid and bare. Though they grew out behind him, she could see where his wings would have begun. They hovered, half opened, behind his back. His neck was thick like a coiled rope and when she saw his jaw she knew she didn't want to look further, but Sakura had never been good about looking away, and she knew then even before her eyes climbed up the rest of his face as saw the same black eyes that worshiped her as a saint in the confines of a long gone Russian city.

"This," he began with a voice like distant thunder. She felt every word like a force from within. "…Is not the first time you have been wounded in my bed, is it not?"

"What are you…?" She remembered the time she traveled backwards from the Kingdom of Beasts to the Monarch Woods, trying to hide from Naruto. It was as he said. Once upon a time, she had been bleeding in his sheets, wounded and broken. That had been a different lifetime, that had been a different world. He had been an actor on another level; he wasn't supposed to remember.

' _ None of them are supposed to remember, but you are different, Sakura _ ,' the ghost of Sai's voice echoed in her head. Madara was different from the others. Even the ones who remembered past lives. Madara was different.

"You're self aware," she finally breathed, eyes wide.

"Is that what you call it?" he asked in a rolling chuckle that built mountains under her veins. He watched her and titled his head to the side, never taking his eyes off of her. "I am one of the Knowing. Does  _ that _ mean something to you?"

"You know about the curse." It wasn't a question.

"I know many things." He dipped his head and the twisted, obsidian horns from atop his head were gone. His gaze cut through his long lashes at an angle that made her shiver. "I've been waiting a long time for this."

She remembered Madara from the last time she had seen him, back in the Monarch Woods. He had been someone of power then, a prince crowned to be king, and he held himself like one when she danced with him across the Russian floors. Now he was something more than a prince or a king. He was an emperor with blood soaked up to his elbows. There was nothing childish about him.

Madara ducked his head further and brought up his knee to push against the mattress. His body shifted to an angle that made all of the lines that made him up stand out. She saw where one bundle of muscle began and another ended. She saw where his flesh was stretched across the bones of his chest. She had always found collar bones mesmerizing, but his were exquisite.

He braced his hands on the bed and climbed forward, his wings expanding and then breaking apart. A flurry of feathers that never landed and his face was left bare. Sakura could see where his shoulder blades pushed out in peaks and where his spine curved deep into his back, dipping below the band of his trousers. He crawled forward on his hands and knees and by the time he was close enough to touch her leg his hands were pale and human shaped again. He didn't move to touch her, and he didn't hover over her, but he was close enough that all he had to do was put in a little effort and he could have her pinned beneath him.

Sakura shifted, backing away from him and he pulled back just as well, not intending to invade her personal space even if his eyes refused to leave her form. 

"What do you want with me?" she finally asked.

His head turned slightly to the side so it looked like he wasn't staring at her so obviously anymore, but he was. She could still feel it. 

"I don't want anything from you," he whispered.

"Liar." The word came too easily to her lips.

"Yes, a part of me is a liar, the part of me that wants everything from you, but I won't listen to that part of me today. I will want nothing from you today, because that is the choice I make of my own free will, for as long as I have a will that is free." He straightened his face, head shifting back. "My only efforts are for your safety and protection."

Sakura swallowed, caught up in all the questions she wanted to ask him, all the things she wanted to accuse him of. 

"You…how are you able to remember what happened in another world? How do you know about the curse?"

"What gain is there for me if I answer?"

"What do you lose by not answering?" Madara hummed, reaching forward to touch the edge of her hand, running the backs of his fingers over her skin. 

"I'll settle for your good graces. I'm able to remember all that has happened to me so far because of your friend, the Knower of Hidden Ways, made sure I was able to keep my memories." Madara withdrew his hand and turned it over in front of his face. A tarot card appeared out of thin air. Sakura saw a design of a woman on a throne holding a sword out before he turned the card over between his fingers. "After the night you left me, I woke up in a new world with this in my pocket and all my memories. I've been waiting and planning to receive you ever since, but Hayate kept you hidden because of his plans for the story."

"You even know about Hayate," Sakura said aloud, pretending she hadn't shivered when she heard how dark his tone turned when he mentioned Hayate. Sure, she didn't like the guy much either, but Madara's tone was something else.

"Yes, I know many things. I know more than anyone else in this world." His hand found her hair again.

"How is this possible? In the last kingdom, some of the actors started to remember, but that was because of me… and it was a bad idea in the long run. Are you the only one, or will there be others? What about Itachi?" His hand in her hair twitched, but returned to brushing back her tresses rhythmically. 

"What about Itachi? He knows nothing other than the story written for him in this play. I am the only one."

"It's probably better this way. Itachi was miserable with the guilt last time." When Madara didn't say anything in reply Sakura decided it would be a better idea to elaborate. "Itachi grew to be self aware towards the end, along with Hidan and Naruto's dark clone, that boy named Menma. It didn't turn out well for any of them."

"It rarely does, but I am different. I will not be so easily dominated by trivial emotions, you need not be cautious around me." He removed his hand from her hair and let his fingers brush the other shell of her ear. "I've waited too long for this to be weak for anything or anyone."

Sakura pulled her head back and turned her face away half an angle. It would be harder for him to touch her again. 

"I guess it is good for me to have someone I can talk to about what's really going on." Madara's smile should have been soft, but on his face the thinly pressed lips and crinkled eyes made him look more like a plotting minx than a pleased adult.

"I'm glad you see it that way. I've been waiting for you to come to me ever since the night of the dance. I want to speak of so many things with you. I want to know about your truth. What is your life like when you wake up from this dream? What is your life like in the true world?"

"You… you want to know about my waking life."

"It's a part of who you are, more than this role you play to please the curse."

Sakura was suddenly thirsty for words and couldn't help herself. She began to tell Madara of her friends and her job and the house she lived in since last year. She told him her story of how she came to be cursed and what the first few dreams were like for her. When he asked her, she even shared stories of what happened to her in the first kingdom and how that changed her life in the real world.

She told him the story of the Marble Gardens, and how stone grew inside her the longer she stayed stuck in the rose maze.

She told him the story of how she bound herself to a gaggle of angry American greasers in a time period he would never know, and about how she fought with knives in her battles against rivals without faces as well as the dream killer himself, Orochimaru. She even mentioned the way Sasori died for her and what it did to her.

She told him of how she came into the Monarch Woods before she met him, how she appeared on a mountain top and rescued a wolf pup that would grow up to be a beast more loyal than any other in the Russian woods. ' _ I lost him, just like I lost Sasori before _ .'

Sakura told Madara about the Kingdom of Beasts and of how she apprenticed under two master swordsmen to learn the ways of the sword in preparation for her battle to come. Then she mentioned Menma and the others who took her in and began to remember from the last time they saw her, a whole kingdom ago. When she was describing their self awareness, it was obvious that Madara was interested in hearing what she had to say, and she suspected that was because what she had to say was different from what happened to him.

Her voice pitched and her throat tightened when she got to the part about killing Sai, but she shook her head and closed her eyes before retelling her story on the TeaLion Express and how each car on the train came with a unique world of problems and monsters. She spoke of how she maneuvered colonial India and the aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion in China with trial and tribulation. She even told him about the bees.

Madara listened intently, hanging on each of her many words. He never seemed to look away from her and would often reach out to touch the side of her leg through the covers whenever he had a comment or question to ask. He seemed honest in his interest and by the time Sakura felt the pull of the dream world tugging on her, she felt so much lighter.

She had found a form of freedom in being able to tell someone everything without having to lie or edit her story for the sake of seaming sane. She could tell Karin, and there had been times when she shared parts of her dream with Karin, but Sakura had never admitted to believing in her dreams, and she never mentioned the curse. With Madara she didn't have to worry about that. He already knew, and on some level, he already understood. He had been a dreamer once before, a long time ago when the Obelisk had still been lost in Japan.

There were thin, invisible strings tugging at her, but Sakura resisted, stretching her dream out as far as it would go.

"Tell me about you, Madara," she said.

His eyes were a dark black, but somehow they still sparkled with delight, making his whole face seem bright. He touched her knee through the covers and she felt it this time. She was regaining feeling in her legs more and more.

"I would love to, but straining to stay will only wear you out before waking up. You should return rested. Go now, I will not leave, and tomorrow we will speak again. Tomorrow, you might even feel well enough to sing for me." He leaned forward and kissed her cheek with hushed lips, and she felt heavy again.

When she woke in the real world, Sakura decided she liked Madara and wanted to stay close to him, but at the same time, she forced herself to admit he was the most dangerous ally she had ever accepted in the entirety of her time inside the curse. He would be her greatest help and her greatest weakness.


	10. The House of Fire

**OBELISK 11:**

**Kingdom of Monsters**

**The House of Fire**

* * *

Like always, her body in the dream world pulled itself back together enough for her so that the next time she entered into the dream she was more whole than she should have been for only one night's rest. She was still in pain, but when Sakura woke up, she found her legs felt more bruised than anything. She could stretch and bend them without lightning shooting up her spine. Her bed was warm and soft, but she was sick of it. She had spent too long living like a cripple.

Turning over in bed, Sakura pulled back the covers and folded her legs over the side of the bed. She felt her body pull like a weight into an upright position and winced at the fading bruises around her ribs and neck. Her body remembered what it was like to live in the salt and waves. The places where she once had gills were still sore, but it wasn't bad. She could breath, and that's what mattered.

Sakura pulled back the curtain and looked out. She was alone. Deciding that was a good thing, Sakura scooted as close to the edge as she could and then let her legs drag her body forward. She touched the floors and almost collapsed with the brand new weight on her legs. She felt like walking on stilts as she struggled to gain a steady footing. She grabbed onto the curtain and pulled till the flailing came under control.

Just like the little mermaid from the story, every step was a step filled with pain, but it wasn't pain she couldn't stomach. She had endured worse in her life. Staying stuck in bed would be worse. Waiting around for something to happen to her would be worse.

She reached the end of the room and paused at the door, trying the handle and finding it locked. Someone had locked her inside from the outside. Maybe someone expected her to recover and didn't want her leaving, or maybe it was their way of 'protecting' her.

She was still dressed in a nightgown and there was an empty tray beside her bed where food should have been. The water glass, however, was three quarters of the way filled. She reached for it, knowing it was on the other side of the room, knowing her hand wouldn't reach, knowing it was a childish gesture. The water in the glass rippled. A second later it was a coiling rope circling through the air to wrap and levitate in the shape of a perfect halo around her hand.

"That's new," she breathed aloud, moving her hand and manipulating the water.

Sakura eyed the lock and then waved her hand in its direction, imagining the lock shattering or being ripped apart by the water she controlled. The liquid twisted over itself before burrowing into the wood and metal of the door. A second later it froze, expanding and breaking apart the lock before returning to a liquid state that encircled her wrist.

"Not helpless anymore," Sakura said to herself, narrowing her eyes at the shattered wood and mangled metal. She might not be able to summon items out of her imagination, but there was more to being a monster than she was aware of. She could see things in the water and manipulate it. She could enchant listeners with her voice and who knows what else.

She flexed her wrist and the halo of water around her wrist became a spiked bracelet over her knuckles. She didn't need to be afraid anymore.

She turned the corner and took a few more steps down the dark hallway when she felt someone ahead of her. She tensed and fell into a semi crouch, ready to brace against attack if needed.

"Do you think there is somewhere you need to be, princess?" a dark, dry voice asked from within the darkness ahead of her. She recognized the voice, even if she had a hard time accepting it as Itachi's. She had never heard him so cold before, at least not cold towards her. Itachi had never been her enemy, but that's how he felt now.

"I'm sorry. Was keeping me trapped your job?" she teased, trying to sound light and funny. She didn't relax her stance, even though she smiled from behind her raised fists. Part of the water over one knuckle broke off and wrapped around her opposite hand. She now had two ice tipped fists if the need arose.

The outline of a figure became distinguishable in the darkness ahead of her, but she still couldn't make out his body. 

"Put your hands away before you do yourself damage. You were not in any danger where you were. Return and wait for Madara, he will be displeased if you are hurt or removed." She didn't lower her hands. 

"Is there a reason you're such an ass in this life, or is this who you are this time around?"

Itachi stepped forward and she saw his pale face tipped at the corners with raven black feathers. His neck was glossy with slender folds that disappeared into his casually opened dress shirt. His hands were black and clawed. Red spinning eyes and petite fangs made him a monster unlike any she had heard of in mythology. Madara had looked similar but had long curling horns. Itachi's horns were miniature like stubs that poked out from the lines of his temple. There was a rustle and his wings shook loose feathers before folding again.

"Do not speak to me of such things." When he growled, she saw the teeth of a predator. "I am not to hear of what is beyond, sea witch."

"Fine. I don't know what you've been told or what your stake is in this whole mess, but I'm not going back into that room and you're not going to keep me from doing anything I want. Madara needs to know that while his company is not shunned, I will not be controlled by him. I need to find Kakashi for starters, and then I'm going to visit Obito and Toby."

"That is not permitted." Itachi's wings spread out, touching the ends of each wall.

"What? You're going to stop me with force?" She wanted to laugh. "You think Madara will allow that?"

"You will not be hurt."

Her fists came up in front of her face and the ice spikes grew between her knuckles. She tried not to think of Itachi as the sad boy in love with her in spite of his guilt from the last kingdom. She thought back to the first kingdom where he had watched her fight Orochimaru and take a knife to the stomach because of his betrayal. She thought of that Itachi, and remembered how each world almost always gave her a brand new actor with new memories and a new personality. He wasn't someone she knew. He was the enemy now, and he was keeping her from escaping.

Now, all she wanted was Kakashi and her freedom, but there was still the bigger issue of finding the Obelisk and moving on to the last gate and kingdom. She had already spent so much time in the Kingdom of Monsters. She needed to move on. She needed to keep going.

Itachi was a flurry of red and black feathers, but Sakura wasn't the slow thing she was supposed to be. In this world she had lost the heightened speed and skill that came with combat, but before she first dreamed of a cursed land, Sakura had known how to fight with her hands. It was what she fell back to. Brass knuckles and street knives with Karin after school.

He reached for her and she landed one in his gut. It was solid and he was knocked back before a second hit bruised him further. He growled, more surprised than hurt. Itachi narrowed his already thin gaze and came at her again, aiming low and shocking her with unfurling of his wings as he came up. Sakura nearly tripped on her bruised legs, but didn't suffer damages. Itachi hadn't been trying to hurt her, only grab her. It was why he wouldn't win.

She roared and extended her fists and the ice became a whip of water that struck him across the face hard enough to turn his head, but not enough to leave a mark. She wasn't in it to hurt him either, and that was why she wouldn't win. She thought at least she might be able to trap him somewhere, freeze his feet down, but when he came at her again her water made itself a wall to stop his attack before she thought to control it.

Sakura blinked, preparing to recover with an ice tipped attack when something inside her snapped. She felt like a rubber band pulled too far. She came undone with a cry and her legs were dead things under her again. She felt all the parts of her break and suddenly she was fighting just to breath. There was blood on her neck and seeping through the white cotton of her nightgown. Her ribs were aching and she knew somehow that the blood was coming from her gills…the ones that hadn't been there when she checked earlier after waking up.

She looked up and saw Itachi's eyes widen. He was an arms stretch away from her, tense and crouched, ready to inspect her further. He hadn't been expecting that any more than her. His shock was genuine. Itachi's hand was still black, but the claws were shrunken to customary finger nails when he reached her.

The darkness around them grew.

"NO!"

A second later Itachi was thrown across the room. There were more feathers than before in the air, but these feathers were longer, fuller, messier and wilder than the smooth silk ones of Itachi's wings. Sakura looked up and saw Madara crouched over her. He touched her face with a trembling black hand. His thumb brushed over her lips and touched the blood that had escaped her mouth.

She saw fear in her eyes and felt her own heart jump. What was wrong? Was she dying? Why was she in so much pain and why was she bleeding all of a sudden? Itachi hadn't hurt her. It didn't make sense.

"She used magic she didn't have in her human form. Her body is trying to revert," Itachi explained from where he sat crumpled up against the far wall. Madara had thrown him hard enough to dent the wood. Without anything more, Itachi pulled himself up into a proper bow and touched his head to his hands as he folded himself on the floor in respect to his elder. "She should be fine."

"Shut up," the elder snapped. It sounded like paper ripping. Madara's voice was harsh enough to make her flinch. He saw her reaction and made a sound like a whimper in the back of his throat. Another hand caressed the side of her face. "I was only gone for an hour. What did you do?"

Sakura coughed, closing her eyes and turning her face away to spit the saliva mixed with blood away. Opening one eye, she spied a spilled tray of fruit and toast a distance from her head. It was overturned and scattered. She wasn't hungry, but it reminded her of the lack of food left in her room.

"I was… hungry," she lied, closing her eyes. "And I wanted to see Kakashi." A little bit of the truth would save her butt when Itachi decided to speak up and share what she had said to him earlier about running away. Madara was too dangerous to not be careful around. She coughed again and felt her lungs fill with water and blood. She was choking on it.

Madara cursed above her, gathering her into his arms and folding her body against his chest. She felt him kiss the crown of her head before speaking loudly over his shoulder to Itachi. 

"I'm taking her to my room. Bring Mai to me and tell her to not forget the medicine this time."

"Yes, I will see to it." Itachi was gone in a swirl of feathers.

Sakura choked on something in her throat and convulsed in his arms. She managed to push herself up and blood gurgled out of her mouth.

So this is what they meant when they doubted her recovery. Breathing felt like drowning.

"Don't try to speak, you'll only do more damage," she heard him say above her.

There was a subtle shift, and she felt the pull of magic. They were somewhere new, a place too far removed to reach on normal feet. It was another bedroom, just as nice as she expected it to be, but colder, with wide glass doors to a balcony and a fireplace large enough to crawl in. He growled, and flames sprang up between the black logs on the stone set and warmth curled into the room.

In front of the fireplace there was a set of couches, and on the floor lay a thick white rug that had once been a polar bear. He set her on the rug and pulled down another hide to wrap around her. It was softer than anything she had before, and instantly felt bad for dirtying it with the blood soaking through her nightgown.

"You truly were asleep when I left you," he murmured again, touching her face. "Why did you try to run away from me?"

Sakura stilled, fear creeping into her chest. He knew. Itachi had told him she was like this because she tried to use magic. Why else would she try to use magic, but to get away? He was Madara Uchiha. He would not be so easily fooled.

"No," he cooed into her hair, whispering the sounds wings make when they drift across a breeze. "No, love, no. Don't fear me. I don't blame you, don't think I could ever blame you. You have no need to fear me, Itachi should have known better than to frighten you."

She didn't want to, but she forced her voice to come out, she forced her voice to work. 

"You knew I wanted to escape. Why are you… I lied to you." Her eyes found his, and he smiled at her. It wasn't dark or cunning, he was honest and soft and it made her want to melt. 

"No, you didn't. You just kept something from me, but love, why would I ever be mad at you? Even if you had run away, even if you had left me, there isn't a rock in this dream I wouldn't be able to find you under now that we're finally together. Not even the spinner of dreams can stop me now."

"Hayate," Sakura said, ignoring how frightened she wanted to be when Madara spoke of finding her no matter where she went or what she did.

"I know the bastard's Achilles Heel, and I'll tell it to you, too. It wasn't my secret in the first place."

"What are you talking about?"

Sakura tried to turn over in the furs but her lungs spasmed again and she cried out, falling back into her tears and Madara's arms. She heard him curse and then roar the name of the girl who brought medicine in a long needle. Mei came in a second later, nearly tripping to get in as quickly as she did.

Sakura couldn't open her eyes, but she felt the skinny metal in her arm and looked up to see the old fashioned syringe push something white into her arm. It looked like the blood they pulled from her tail when she had been a mermaid, but it didn't glow like her blood. This mixture was heavier, thicker, like whole milk or creamer.

"It will help you heal while keeping you human," Mai explained before pulling the needle out and boxing it up. She stood, bowed to Madara, and left before an entire minute had passed. The fire roared behind them and Sakura turned her face towards it. She could feel her neck tighten. When she reached up to touch it again she felt smooth skin. There were no scales or gills to speak of.

"What was that?" Madara chuckled, and it was a heavy sort of sound that made her feel heavy. 

"I may not be the dreamer, able to pull matter from thought, but in this world I am just as powerful as I needed to be. It was the milk of an immortal calf. It is said to be a healing to humans. Doesn't work the same for us monsters, but I'm glad we found some use for it. How do you feel?"

"Silly?" Madara smiled, humming in delight before leaning down and kissing the top of her head again. 

"You are precious."

"You mentioned Hayate, and you know about my- or what was supposed to be my abilities. I can't do that anymore. Hayate put a… a ban on my abilities. It keeps me from healing, fighting off toxins, and materializing my dreams."

"He enjoys his stories too much, he can get caught up in them and forget his place. I don't agree with his idea to limit you in such a way, even if it did lead you to me." Something made his eyes flicker, and she could have sworn she saw him wince. "You should have never endured such cruelties at the hands of that brat. I will kill him the next time he comes out of hiding." While he felt guilt she decided to ask her question of him. 

"Madara… are you truly not mad at me for trying to run away? You're not upset?" It was odd how he didn't seem to care.

"Oh, don't misunderstand. I would have been devastated, but I know it would be foolish to be truly worried. Itachi is loyal, and while I have reservations about his cousins, I know they will do as I ask when told, and they know to keep you safely hidden here. I am a powerful monster. There is little you could do to escape me."

"You're not mad that I  _ wanted _ to get away?" Sakura still wasn't convinced. 

He patted her hair down at his eyes twitched again with that flicker of emotion. He tried to laugh, but it came out like a sad hum and he had to shake his head and look away. 

"Ah, no, I… I could never be mad at you, love; never at you… you haven't been around me enough to know me so well. I'd be just as loyal as Kakashi if you'd let me. I'd love you just as well as the others. Lay me at your feet and I would worship you." He kissed her face again. "I will treat you right. You'll come to know and love me as well. You'll never want to leave again."

"But I'll have to, eventually.” Sakura turned over again so she was closer to him. "I'm dreaming all this up, remember? I leave every night, and I'll need to go on to the last kingdom where I can destroy the curse. I need to find the Obelisk in this world."

Madara watched her, but didn't reply. His eyes were red and black and patterned like pinwheels that never shifted even though the reflection of the flames were constantly shifting for him to reflect. She could hear him breathing as he stared at her longer.

"You can't." He finally answered, and it was as a whisper. "You'll die."

"M-maybe, but I can't stay like this forever. The- Madara, in the real world this curse is killing me. I'm not well. I'm not healthy in the waking world anymore."

"I can protect you while you're here, but it's almost assured that I won't be able to see you again if you pass from this Kingdom to the next Gate." She saw his eyes flicker, and thought it seemed like he was remembering something that caused him to flinch.

"Madara?" She called his name once, scared to see his eyes wandering away into thoughts she couldn't comprehend. The stillness of his face frightened her. It wasn't what she was used to seeing except when she looked in the mirror every morning after waking from her nightmares.

He blinked and appeared to return to her. She held her breath until his eyes softened and his shoulders relaxed. He caught a short curl of her hair and twisted it over his fingers. When he spoke, his voice was still distant, as if he was reeling it back in from a far off place. 

"I don't want to exist in this curse anymore, now that I'm aware of it. I remembered all the incarnations for all the other actors that came after me. I remember all the broken worlds and all the sinful endings to their lives. I've seen it too many times. There is no end to this curse and that's the damnedest things about it. There is no victory. Hope only exists to hurt us all the more when we die and become it’s ghosts."

His breath caught and Sakura felt her heart snag on it. When he breathed out again, she thought she would bleed out internally. He was preaching all her worst fears to her. All she could do was find his face with her hand and stroke the side of his cheek, trying to calm the shivers of a man remembering not one nightmare, but thousands. She didn't know how long he had been in the curse, but if he had seen dozens of actors, it sounded like he had been here quite a while.

Madara's words buried a dagger deep inside her chest that twisted with every thought and breath. It was the fate she feared so fiercely she never dared admit it to herself. No one had ever beaten the curse before, only escaped it. The curse had conquered all who opposed it. Sai had believed in her, but did she? Could she really do it? Was it worth it?

"It's hell, but with you here I can believe that it's entirely the opposite. I've never been drawn to a dream like this before, and it's not because you're the dreamer and I'm an actor, but because you're Sakura, the girl who perseveres and shines so brightly in spite of all that's happened to her." His head bent low and she could feel his breath fan across her face. She couldn't look away from his eyes. "You're amazing to me, and I love you, I love you enough to follow you through time and curse. I love you enough to bend Hayate like the twig he is and write me into this dream. The other's wouldn't. Sai wouldn't, because he feared my influence, and Kimimaro wouldn't take me off the shelf until you had graduated from his story because the snake would disapprove. Do you understand, love?"

Sakura shivered within the furs, knowing she wasn't cold. She had been desired before, this wasn't her first confession, but no other person had used words so skillfully as to make her feel naked and exposed and bodiless. She was undone by his confession, and wanted to hide and become something he could no longer see. She shrank from his honeyed words, feeling the knife in her heart twist.

Just when she thought his feelings would kill her, he broke off eye contact, turning his face away and shutting his eyes. It was like a spell had been turned off, and suddenly Sakura could breathe again. She had felt what he felt; the internal bleeding, that feeling was Madara's and somehow she had picked up on it.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, still not looking at her. "I let myself be carried away."

Sakura touched her chest, feeling the place over her heart. It still pinched, but nothing like before. The emotional heartache she carried was dwarfed in comparison to his. 

"Is that what you feel?" She barely heard him when he whispered his reply. 

"Sometimes." There was silence for a long time before he turned back to glance at her. "I was… carried away and lost myself for a moment. Forgive me, love?"

Sakura opened her mouth to correct him, to say that her name wasn't 'love' but 'Sakura.' As soon as she opened her mouth, though, she snapped it shut and pressed her lips together till they turned thin. She wasn't particularly fond of the nickname he gave her, but she felt like he needed to have it. Madara felt like a very broken man hiding in an impressive suit that fooled everyone but her. Madara needed the nickname.

"Isn't this your club?" Sakura asked suddenly, convinced that changing the subject was for the best. "We're above your speakeasy, aren't we?"

"Oh?" his tone was teasing. "And how did you manage to guess that?"

"I'm quite good at guessing games." She grinned. "Also… I peaked." He chuckled and his voice was dark again. He was less broken in that moment.

"What a clever little fox you have become. Would you prefer the grand tour once your legs are well?"

She could tell that he was proud of his establishment. It made sense. From what she heard from Obito and Kakashi about Madara and his establishments, few could say they rivaled the head of the Uchiha clan. She nearly forgot who he was when he whispered confessions to her over the furs in front of the fire, but Madara was a monster and this was his kingdom.

Sakura turned over again and tried to move her legs. She felt the pins and bit her lips and closed her eyes, not wanting to cry out and startle Madara. She could move her legs, but she doubted she could walk far. She was no better off than she had been when she first tried to run away.

"When will I be better?" Sakura asked, looking up and back at Madara, not bothering to turn over. Her throat was open and exposed like a drawbridge, bent upwards as she turned her head back. He reached forward to pet the side of her neck with the back of his fingers. She shivered and he chuckled.

"Soon, I pray. I am most anxious to see you in your glory and hear your songs, though I admit to also dreading the day the rest of the world will see you and love you. Maybe I should beg you to stay here in these furs with me forever."

"Don't tell me you're jealous." Sakura laughed.

"Oh yes, I'm sick with it, I'm afraid." His hand moved from her neck to the skin behind her ear before finding another strand of hair to curl. "But to see you adorned in pearls and silks for a spotlight, I've heard stories, and I thirst for the experience. I will have Mai bring more milk. You will be well before you wake from this cycle of the dream. If not now, then certainly by the next dream."

It was weird to hear someone talk about her dreams like they were a real thing. When she mentioned them to anyone in the waking world, she knew no one thought them anything more than unusual dreams that were not beyond the realm of what most considered to be normal. But when Madara spoke of her dreams, he spoke with authority. He knew what he was talking about and what she was going through.

"Do you remember when you first dreamed inside the curse?" she asked. The question came before she could stop herself. She was too curious to not ask. His fingers were still in her hair, rubbing circles into her scalp that made her want to lean into his touch. 

"Ah, I do. It is one of the oldest of my memories. I remember my first dreams inside the curse, but little else beyond that. I have trouble recalling what kind of life I lived or where I was. I've been in the worlds of others too long." He paused, still massaging her scalp before adding something. "Though, I do remember I was someone who was in charge of other people. I inherited my power. I was a firstborn son, or I survived all my elder brothers. There was much bloodshed too. We were at war. My family survived, or maybe we won, I can't remember. I had no woman, and my mother died young. That is all I can recall."

"I think I saw the real life of one of the other actors before I came to this kingdom," Sakura said, closing her eyes and turning her head into his hand, loving the feel of his fingers in her hair. "I saw who he was before he came into the curse. He was a real person."

"We were all real people once." He kept massaging, adding another hand and turning her head to rest in his lap. "But if you saw his true life, the life before the curse, that means you will never see him again in the dreams. He can not be used as an actor anymore. How long have you been in the curse yet, love?" Sakura closed her eyes, thinking back.

"It was early summer when we went to clean the house and when I found the Obelisk in a box of my grandmother's things. It's late summer now, so it's been over a year. I don't know how, it seems like just yesterday I started doing this."

"This actor you will never see again, did not last as long as you inside the dreams. Role holders, or guides, like Hayate, choose which actors to use for their kingdom and gate, but each actor can only be used a certain number of times before they grow too thin to maintain. There are many things that can make an actor thin. If they died early on in the Obelisk is one of them. If a person dies in the real world, their spirit is fainter in this world. Those who die within the Obelisk are more often role holding actors. There are always other reasons, though. Another could be how many times they were used, or how important their role was."

"Neji didn't have very important roles," Sakura murmured, thinking back to who he was in the Monarch Woods.

"I do not know the details of why he is gone, only the rules of the curse I have learned over the centuries. I will share what secrets of this world that I can. No one will be more valuable to you than I."

Sakura hummed, closing her eyes and relaxing fully into his hands. She felt at ease in his care, more so than she anticipated. She wanted to stay wary of Madara, her gut told her there was more to him than what she saw, but her gut also told her he had been honest with her thus far. He may not be the best thing for her, but Sakura knew that Madara, while powerful, was also a very broken creature. A hundred years of purgatory will do that to a person. The other actors were only so sane because they couldn't remember the centuries they've been manipulated and used.

Sakura felt a tug and knew the end of her dream was approaching. She had spent so long with Madara already. The fire was softer now, burning the last of the logs he had originally fed into it. Soon, she would wake up in bed and start another day pretending she hadn't suffered emotional trauma in her dreams.

"Madara?"

He hummed in response, still massaging her head. Sakura loved the feeling, but she sat up on her elbows, pulling away and turning around.

"I want to do something, but don't take it out of context. I have to wake up soon, so I'll be leaving in just a bit."

She could feel the dream pull and she resisted, wanting to do this one last thing before everything went away. Sakura turned all the way around so the rest of her body faced Madara's. Drawing her legs up was painful, but she didn't do more than that before she could grab Madara's shoulders and pull herself closer. Before he could ask, Sakura kissed the corner of his face and then fell asleep in his arms.

Sakura never saw anything past the point when she fell asleep inside the dream, but if she could, she would have seen a monster with black wings and twisted horns holding the sleeping body of a mermaid girl, and crying silently into her hair, rocking slightly as his wings shook.

Into her hair he whispered over and over again the same phrase.

" _ I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you _ ."

.

"Something happened."

Sakura's smile dropped instantly into a frown as Sakura looked up at Genma with newly narrowed eyes. She had been dozing off, staring off into space again and Genma had caught her more than once with a soft smile. He seemed too pleased with her secret happiness to let her be.

"Tell me what it was, or who. You met someone, didn't you?"

"Where would I find time to meet someone new?" Sakura asked with a huff. "You're making up stories again."

"No I'm not. If I was wrong you would have just said 'no' and be done with it. You met someone, you did, didn't you?"

"Where is your girlfriend, she needs to reign you in. I'm trying to work here," Sakura growled, turning her body away from his and typing sideways into the spreadsheet.

She wasn't going to put up with him, today of all days. For once since this stupid curse got to her, she felt like there was someone she could talk to and recieve real validation from. It was different from keeping a secret, but just like keeping a secret, the absence of the weight once it became lifted was just as refreshing.

"Is it someone I know, is that why you won't tell me?"

"I just said there was no one, didn't I."

"You're seeing someone"

"I'm not," she snapped, clearly annoyed. Genma skipped around to the other side of her desk, forcing her to shift in her seat again. 

"Okay, so you're not dating him yet, I can buy that, but I've seen that face before, I've seen that look a hundred dozen times before and it's always the face girls get when they think about somebody they like, girl or boy. You're hung up on someone, finally. I was starting to think you were asexual or something."

"And is there something wrong with that?" Sakura asked, rolling her eyes and hoping he would drop it soon. "You have a different woman every other week, Genma. You're the one who's not normal here."

"Don't be such a prude, it's the twenty-first century. Women are allowed to show off their ankles, men are allowed to be whores, it's the golden age of freedom, baby, and you're in love."

Sakura wanted to bash something heavy across his face. There was no end to it. Even if she denied it, even if she lied about it all, he was bound to catch her sighing or staring off into space with that look in her eye again and that would start it all up again. He would never let her have peace about it, but that didn't mean she was going to give in.

Sakura screwed up her lips and glared at her computer, determined to finish as quickly as possible. She was actually looking forward to going to sleep tonight, and it reminded her of when she first started going to the Kingdom of Man and meeting with Sasori. It wasn't the same, she had been more innocent then, but the feeling wasn't totally different, either. She was looking forward to seeing Madara and hearing about his life and his adventures inside the Obelisk and-

"You did it again, I saw you smile. You were just thinking about him, weren't you?"

Sakura covered her eyes with the palms of her hands, groaning as she rubbed her tired eyes. She wanted to be done, but this was going to take longer If he made a big deal out of every time she thought about Madara. She couldn't help it, she thought about him a lot. He was going to never shut up if he called her out on smiling to herself whenever she thought of the elder Uchiha.

"Can you just go, please? I have work to do and I'm not thinking about a person or whatever you think it is. I'm just… ugh, I'm… is it a crime to just want to be happy and smile at work or something? Leave me alone."

"Has he asked you out, or do you think he is going to? What do you think the chances are? You need to let me know when you start dating."

"He's not going to ask me out on a date," Sakura grumbled, mentally rolling her eyes at the thought of Madara in such a position. She fell asleep in his arms and lived in his house. Dating probably wasn't even a thing in the late 1920's either.

When Genma didn't say anything she ventured a glance upwards and winced. The older male's face was split with a grin too wide to hold. She thought over her last few words and cursed. She hadn't been smart and now she was going to pay for it. ' _ Damn it. _ '

"So there  _ is _ someone…"

"I'm going. This is nonsense," Sakura bit out, pulling up her purse and piling her things into it as Genma hopped back and forth on one leg and then the other. He looked ridiculous, and he was only going to get worse if she didn't leave. She could finish her work when she snuck in tomorrow morning. She had a few hours she could make work. Genma didn't open, so she could avoid him then.

Sakura packed up her things and was heading out the front, ignoring Genma's chatter as he trailed behind her, asking questions and making silly comments about her sexuality and lack of love life and how proud he was of her. If she bothered to listen, and she didn't, she would have heard the made up scenarios he had dreamed up for her and the mystery man. He was more annoying than usual and she took that as a sign that his lady friend was getting ready to dump him. It fit with the pattern she had become accustomed to over the past year of knowing him.

Sakura got to the front and pushed the counter aside to leave when she saw Yamato staring at her with a drink in his hand, freshly prepared just the way she liked it. He was frozen in place while Genma rattled on in the background, oblivious to his friend and the hurt that was growing like a weed behind Yamato's eyes. She hadn't done anything wrong, but Sakura felt guilty for the way Yamato refused to meet her eyes while still staring at her. He had heard and misunderstood but there was no use in saying anything to clear up the misunderstanding. Yamato was her friend, but she didn't want to encourage anything more than that.

Sakura shook her head and turned back towards the front, ignoring both males. She still had two more companies she had to visit before she could go home. Today she was actually looking forward to finishing work.

Yamato didn't call out to her as she left, and she hoped that didn't mean anything bad.

She came awake in his arms. Sometime after falling asleep, Madara had lowered himself down onto the furs alongside her and stretched out to put her between himself and the fire. One arm was stretched over her head, and the other was draped over her waist where his fingers got caught on the corners of her hip bone. One of his legs had slipped in between hers, and in the night she had hooked her ankle around his leg to curl him closer for more warmth. His white dress shirt was opened all the way down to where it was tucked into his trousers and she had slipped up to touch his skin in the night.

Sakura pulled her hand away with a muffled gasp, instantly feeling the difference in temperature from his body and the room around her. The moment made him react in his sleep, as he groaned through tired lips and buried his face deeper into her hair. He inhaled deeply before relaxing again. She could feel his fingers curl into her hip and knew he was trying to keep her closer.

Madara reminded her of a large dog, or an animal she could curl up with. Long strands of black silk stretched out around his head, some falling over his shoulder where she could touch them. He nearly purred at the feeling and snuggled closer. Sakura felt the air shift slightly. He radiated with a subtle heat.

"Don't leave me." His chest vibrated with a deep gravelly voice as Madara curled around Sakura and raised his leg up between hers, pinning her in place. Rather than fight it, Sakura felt her own body curl tighter around his, like it was the most natural thing in the world. She couldn't remember feeling pain in her legs before. She was whole and perfect with him.

"I won't," she whispered, smiling to herself. She wasn't supposed to be so happy, she wasn't supposed to feel good about anything, especially not something that came from her curse, but Madara felt right.

Madara groaned again and cracked open a single eye before squeezing both shut again and burying his head deeper into the fur and her hair. 

"Mmm 'st, too early." Sakura giggled, stretching up so that she could kiss his chin.

"Good morning." He opened a single eye to look at her before closing it again.

"I never dream anymore, so this can't be a dream," he breathed out. "But I don't believe I could ever be this happy." He grinned before pulling her tighter and kissing her face. "Ah, love, what have you done to me?" She hummed in amusement, patting his hair again.

"You were right, I do feel better. I can feel my legs again."

Madara made the effort to raise his head and look down at the rest of her body. Without shame, he touched the side of her leg just below the knee and smirked when she shivered. The grin on his face was devilish and he shifted to loom over her. 

"Oh, have you never been touched by a man before?"

"I-I…" Sakura felt her face heat up as the sensitive nerve was touched. "I've had boyfriends before." He sounded amused when he spoke through his grin.

"Boyfriends? How quaint. I would never settle for anything so petty. Who has loved you before I, love?" He dropped his face lower. "They are nothing in comparison. Forget them."

Sakura licked her lips and turned her face away, remembering herself. She hadn't been serious with anyone yet, it just hadn't been a priority in her busy life. She was new to this next level, even though she was as old as she was and all her friends were more than just 'active' in the sexual sense. It seemed like just yesterday she was getting upset with her friends at catching her boyfriend holding the hand of another girl behind the lunch dumpster like the cheating trash he was. Now she was hardly dressed on a rug of fur next to one of the most handsome men she had ever believed to have existed, and it was all in her dream.

' _ And he said he loves me _ .'

Sakura pressed a hand to her heart and pushed herself up into a sitting position with the other. 

"I-I think I need to get dressed. I've been wearing this nightgown for too long. I'll start to stink and-and… I should get up."

His hand on her wrist kept her from moving, but she refused to look back at him. She didn't want him to see how red her face had grown. She thought he was going to say something more about her history, but Madara surprised her.

"It won't happen. In this world, your body won't age or sweat or stink. That all depends on how you treat your body in the waking world." He sat up behind her and she felt him loom before another kiss was placed on her hair. "You always smell tempting."

His words made her shiver more than his kisses. It was impossible to stop him. He wanted to make his attachment to her obvious, so he shared it every opportunity he got. Sakura crawled forward and then stood, shaking slightly. She didn't look back at him when she spoke. 

"You're always going to be like that. What if I had someone in the waking world?"

"Forgive me if I make you uncomfortable," Madara intoned, rising behind her. "If you had a lover, you wouldn't have fallen for Sasori in the first place, but even if you had, you're in a dream. Does that really need to matter while you are here?"

"It would  _ to me _ ."

Madara chuckled again, but when Sakura turned back to glare at him, he was gone. Only feathers remained. A short distance away on the edge of the unmade bed, a soft dress of white and peach was laid out. She crossed he room, stumbling only once, before picking at the dress and turning it over. She didn't care if Madara was still in the room, she changed out of her old gown into her new dress and did up the buttons. She didn't care what she looked like anymore, passing over the mirror set up for ladies to do their hair in.

She got to the door and turned the handle to see Madara leaning up against the wall, looking innocently human in a new charcoal gray suit and waistcoat. He grinned mischievously at her. 

"You like? You should have seen me back in the day when I wore a uniform. Officer Madara Uchiha made all the good girls swoon."

Sakura rolled her eyes and chuckled, hating how easy it was to feel like she fit when she was with him. 

"And whatever made you think I would be a good girl for you?" Madara's grin widened. 

"I'm not wearing my uniform, am I?" He chuckled before turning to offer her his hand. "I promised you a tour, didn't I? It's mid afternoon now, but for us it might as well be early morning. We'll be open for business in a few hours. That gives me plenty of time to show off."

"You're terribly full of yourself, Madara. You know that, right?"

"Only for you."

Madara had every right to be full of himself. When Sakura expected to see a fancy establishment that doubled as a speakeasy, she hadn't expected to find something so elaborate or well hidden in the corner of his property. The entertainment room was massive, extending out into a wide floor with tables, booths, and empty spaces meant for dancing. It showed off the Uchiha standard to everyone who slipped in.

In addition to being a staple of luxury and high class, Madara's establishment was well guarded. Half a dozen Uchiha lounged in the shadows from the corners, all wearing police uniforms. Sakura caught sight of Itachi, and when his eyes met hers she sucked in a breath and turned away, not willing to be caught in his gaze for too long. In this world he wasn't an Itachi she wanted to know.

"She the new song bird, boss?" one of the Uchiha asked, sprawled out across a table with a glazed look in his eyes. A shot glass was tipped over in his hands. He was older, not one of the young Uchiha who made up the bulk of what Sakura saw of Madara's family.

Sakura suspected if this Uchiha had been anyone else, Madara would not have been so pleasant in addressing the question, but it was probably because this Uchiha was going gray and his eyes were so far away that Madara grinned and inclined his head. 

"She is indeed. Will you be with us tonight, Tochi?" The older Uchiha shook his head slowly, looking back at his drink before setting it down on the table top and folding his hands under his chin. 

"This place will be bright again. The boys are in low spirits after that last dead end raid. A good song will do them good, and now's the best night for it with all these important guests coming." He looked up at Sakura and she felt like he wasn't truly seeing her. "Take care of them tonight."

"I will," Sakura answered back, not knowing why she felt compelled to respond. He had said something about the boys being in low spirits and she assumed he meant the other Uchiha men who were out on the police force. Or maybe it meant the rest of the Uchiha family, police officer or not. It made her think of where she had been before being abducted by Kabuto. Sakura turned and looked up at Madara. 

"Will Obito be invited?" When he frowned, she pressed further. "I know you don't want me to leave, but I feel like I have to see him and Toby, especially Toby. I haven't seen him since…" Her words didn't trail off, but her memories did. She hadn't wanted to say the rest, to say that she hadn't seen Toby since they last brought her into her room to watch them torture her while telling Toby it was all the little boy's fault.

"I doubt my young cousin would bring his son so late…" Madara frowned, staring at Sakura as she widened her eyes and held her breath. It was more than he was able to resist. "But I will extend the invitation and see if he is willing to accept."

"Thank you, that's all I'll ask for," Sakura said with a grateful nod of her head. She had been meaning to say more, to say something about missing Rin as well, when a chuckle from the shadows made her turn. A younger looking version of Madara emerged from another deep pocket of shadows. His hair was shorter, neater, but his eyes were just as old as the Uchiha's leader. 

"My, my, my, to hear my grudge holding older brother admit to something so easily, you must be the miracle worker I keep hearing so much about." He smiled easily and took her hand. "I am Izuna, pleased to meet you, Sakura." Sakura took his hand robotically, getting caught up on the sound of his voice. She had heard his voice before somewhere, she just couldn't remember where. 

"I'm pleased to meet you as well." Sakura dipped her head again, lowering her eyes with respect to the new figure. "You said you were Madara's younger brother? I didn't know you had a younger sibling, Madara."

"I'm ashamed to be compared to Izuna, he is too good and too kind for me to compare with." Madara grinned. "He will actually be the one handling tonight's guest list, isn't that right, brother?" Izuna shrugged with a simple smile. 

"It's a good strategy to reassure your allies of your power after an incident as embarrassing as our last. Everyone is still shaken, but no one wants to admit it. A good party will put them at ease again and we can forget about how long it took to find our enemies or who we let get away." 

"But only for tonight,” Madara growled deep in his throat. “I don't forgive and forget so easily." Sakura hid her shiver. It would be a long time before she was able to feel peace again, if that was even a possibility in her future. The tortures she suffered under Kabuto were at the forefront of her reasons for the unrest and paranoia that stuck to her soul in the waking world. She closed her eyes and pretended she wasn't shaken by the memory.

"It truly was not as bad as it could have been. The nest was largely eradicated, and the only ones we have to worry about are some no name gypsy girl and Kabuto." Izuna waved his brother's words off. 

"Don't underestimate Anko," Sakura said, opening her eyes and speaking up before she thought about keeping her opinions to herself. She swallowed the reflex regret and forced herself to say more. "She's not someone who was just tagging along. She had just as much authority and responsibility as Kabuto when I was there, and she was all the more dangerous for it."

Izuna blinked and tilted his head slightly to one side, observing Sakura with a more critical eye. She looked up to check, but his eyes were still jet black without a hint of red to trap her in the spinning she felt in her stomach. Izuna was Madara's brother, there was no doubt about it. There was something old and teasing about him. Before he was kind, he was cautious, and Sakura was something new to him. He didn't know her like Madara did, so of course he wouldn't be as friendly, but the way he watched her was the way a stranger inspects fruit in a supermarket before buying it. He was looking at her like he was wondering if she was worth her price sticker.

"You…" he finally said, keeping his voice light. "Have you been debriefed on the events inside Orochimaru's mansion? While we wait for statements from the children, I think it would be good to get your words on the subject. Shisui should be free for a few hours."

"That won't be necessary,” Madara stepped in front of Sakura, blocking his brother's view of her. “She would have no knowledge beyond what she has shared with me that would be useful to our search. Shisui will be busy with other matters." Izuna shrugged, recognizing something in his brother's tone that convinced him to drop the subject. 

"If you say so. Just please make sure you have something formally written down to keep on file. We will celebrate tonight, tomorrow is another day." The younger brother took a step away and then paused before turning back around like he had forgotten something. "And speaking of which, will we be adding a singer to the payroll or should I cut her checks individually?"

_ Is she going to be staying with us long term or are we kicking her out soon? _

Sakura had to repress another shiver when she thought about the meaning behind Izuna's civilly worded question. It didn't sound hostile, but something about it made her feel unwelcome. She was used to actors being a bit more friendly towards her unless she had done something to upset them or oppose them. To the best of her knowledge she hadn't insulted Izuna, so why was he making her feel so agitated?

"The payroll will suffice," Madara answered easily, not the least bit intimidated by his brother's tone. It made her feel silly for suspecting something. For all she knew, it was left over jitters from her memory of Kabuto. "Tell the boys in the band to come early as well. Sakura is going to be practicing with them for tonight."

The safest place for her to be was in the glow of the spotlight on a stage above it all, shielded by a silver microphone stand that would work better than any bulletproof vest. The Midnight Speakeasy was a classy joint that was high brow in a way wholly different from how Obito's restaurant was. Midnight was fancy, but it was also dark and sinful and fast and seductive. Boys in the back kissed girls in places the light didn't touch, and show girls worked the aisles in glittering costumes leaving little to the imagination.

Madara was there. He was occupied with the words of another Uchiha and Itachi sat beside him at a table towards the back with some of the best protection from prying eyes and ears. Even so, there wasn't a table in the whole room that had a terrible view of the stage and there wasn't a corner dark enough that her voice couldn't reach.

The red curtain rose and she stood center stage dressed just as red in a body hugging dress flaring at the knees like a mermaid's tail. Her hands were gloved in black, fisted over her hips, and her neckline was low and complementary. When she turned her face to the side and closed her eyes the shadows made her a devastation of cleavage and swan pale skin. Her throat was naked, waiting to be touched, but when she turned her face to the audience her dark wine colored lips told a different story.

The piano sounded.

" _ Nice to meet you, where you been? _ " She closed her eyes and turned her head just enough. " _ I can't show you incredible things. _ " She opened her eyes and found a gaze in the audience to trap. " _ Magic, madness, heaven, sin. I saw you there and I thought 'oh my god, look at that face, you look like my next mistake.' Love's a game… wanna plaaaaay? _ "

The band joined in and the lights lifted.

It was a fantastic feeling to sing so freely. She had three sets with the band before they did a solo number and played for the jazz lovers and swing dancers. Then she would come in for a fourth song and bow out. That's what they wanted her to start with, not knowing how her first night would go over or even if she would need her fourth set.

She didn't expect it, but at the end of the third set when she moved to leave the stage, the reaction was quick and loud, begging for her back. The boy on bass had to run to the microphone and make a joke about spoiling the audience with too much of a good thing and angels needing a break. He calmed them down a moment later with the promise of her return.

Sakura kept to the shadows and looked out from her corner across the room, searching for familiar faces. She hadn't been able to see well with the spotlights all on her face, but from her new position she could make out the figures in the back and locate where Madara and his valued guests sat.

Pein was there with all his cousins sitting around a table in a booth piled high with expensive booze. A burly cousin with ginger hair had a girl on his lap and two of his other cousins were pouring shots. As Sakura suspected, neither Konan or Nageto were able to make it, even if Nagato was feeling better. Pein nursed a wide shaker glass with frost around the edges. It was nearly empty, and something told her it hadn't been his first drink of the night, nor his last. He was still staring at the stage with a far away look in his eyes. Maybe it was the booze, but he looked lost to the world.

She made a note to try and get to Pein before he drifted too much farther and became incapable of distinguishing the individuals in front of him, but there was someone else she searched for.

Closer to where most of the Uchiha lounged, Sakura spotted a short crop of black hair and the petite figure of a child. Obito had made it, and he brought Toby with him. Slipping from the dark shadows Sakura skipped through the crowd, fast enough that the hands of hungry patrons couldn't catch her before reaching Toby's table. Obito saw her coming and smiled, standing up from their table to greet her. He waved and his smile was bright enough to flag her down. Toby still sat in his seat with his head bent, eyes shadowed by heavy curls of black.

"Sakura," Obito breathed, sounding relieved to see her again. "You're really in one piece. They say you were touch and go there, for a while."

"They exaggerated," Sakura chuckled. "I was always going to pull through. I've survived worse."

"I find that hard to believe."

He laughed, but there was such a grim undercurrent to their exchanged words it was impossible not to laugh. If they didn't laugh they would be forced to face the weight of what they actually said. No, it was better to just laugh and pretend they hadn't both played with death or the death of a loved one.

His grin faltered and Sakura saw the moment it became forced. Obito never stopped smiling, but the spark left his eyes. 

"I'm really glad, though, that you're fine. I was worried, especially after I heard about Kakashi." Sakura swallowed and forced another smile. 

"Yeah, me too. They said they were going to let me see him in the morning. He's still asleep." She said it like it wasn't a serious matter. She spoke like there wasn't the possibility that Kakashi would never wake again.

"That's good to hear." They were empty words. Sakura could hear them echo with hollow ringings from inside Obito's mouth.

Sakura turned her eyes to Toby, who hadn't looked up at her yet. His eyes were still shadowed, and she doubted he would ever look up if she didn't call out to him. He had pulled away and withdrawn into herself. She took a step towards him. 

"Toby." He flinched when she called his name. "How are you doing?"

She waited, but he didn't answer. His father huffed from behind them, looking back and forth between his son and the woman he was ignoring. After a while, Obito threw his hands up and reached to pull out Toby's chair. The young boy whined in protest but never looked up.

"You were the one who kept asking to see her. Sakura's here now, so at least say hello to her. You wanted this." When Toby didn't move Obito huffed again and pulled his son out of his seat by the elbow. Toby jerked, reacting violently and Sakura flinched, remembering how the men would pull Toby into and out of rooms.

"Stop it!" she cried, rushing forward to break off Obito's hold on Toby. Obito frowned, but his look melted into sick understanding when he noticed the change in Sakura. She was shaking and white. She shook her head, swallowing before speaking. "No, it's fine. Don't… he… it was… it was bad, so it's fine if he needs more time before he can say or do anything. Please don't hurt him. He might still have bruises there." She whispered the last part so Toby wouldn't hear it.

"Thank you for understanding." Obito nodded grimly. He looked back at his dejected son and shook his head. "It's late and way past bedtime for the kiddo. I should take him back. We'll come again in a while. Maybe we can hear you sing again?"

"I'm sure." Sakura rolled her shoulders in the direction of the stage. “I have another set I need to get back to. Toby, it was really good to see you again. I'm happy I could see you like this. Come back whenever you want." She almost added something more, something like, 'I love you,' but held her tongue. Maybe next time.

Toby nodded, but didn't look at her or turn around to face her as he hunched his tiny shoulders and started walking towards the back door where stealthy patrons slipped in by way of hidden passageways. Obito led the boy away with a light hand on the shoulder, guiding but not steering. Sakura wondered if he knew, or if he only suspected what actually happened to Obito. Izuna said the children hadn't given testimonies yet, but maybe it was enough to see how Toby flinched or froze or reacted to things that never bothered him before. It was one thing for Sakura to go through such an ordeal, but Obito's son was so young. Toby was still forming and developing his conceptual understanding of the world. Even if he wasn't alive or wasn't real in the traditional sense, Sakura didn't doubt that he was still suffering.

"Your heart isn't big enough for the whole world."

Sakura turned at the sound of the voice and grinned. Pein was looking less intoxicated than before, standing on his own two feet with a causal posture as the weight of his body leaned against the wall. A thin, white cigarette dangled from his lips before he reached up to pull it away and exhale the smoke.

"Pein," Sakura chuckled. "I thought you were enjoying your drink. What are you doing here?" The ginger skin walker blinked once before replacing the smoking cigarette at his lips and inhaling with a tired drop of his shoulders.

"Ah. My family was invited as business partners, but I came because Kagami vouched for the event." He did things on his own time at his own pace. Eventually, he caught his cigarette between his fingers and asked his question. "How are you doing?" His eyes narrowed. "That's the true question here, isn't it?"

"You don't think I'm well?" Sakura asked with a laugh.

"I don't suspect it, no. You were tortured for a good long while by Orochimaru's men. But you're back here, on a stage again, singing for the smiles."

"It's familiar," Sakura admitted, keeping her smile up even if it faltered a bit. "How are Nagato and Konan doing?"

Pein held his cigarette between his fingers before taking a few steps towards her. He breathed out to the side and then took another step. He was close enough to reach out and touch her if he wanted to. 

"They're both grateful, as am I. You're welcome to visit them as I know they would love the company and another chance to show their thanks." He moved to breath in again but stopped, lowering his hand after thinking better of it. "Though… I must admit to being embarrassed. I sent you to them for help on your own set of troubles. Is no one able to help you?"

"I need to help myself this time around. I'm working on conquering my curse on my own for now." She smiled ruefully. "And I didn't expect it to be so easy. Curses aren't things you can peel off like an unwanted bandaid."

Pein's storm gray eyes flickered to where Madara sat in a booth with a few other guests. He frowned at the picture before looking at Sakura again. 

"Heh, bandaids… that's really what your plan is then, and on your own? Madara isn't locking you up with a leash and collar? That's what it sounded like on the outside."

Sakura laughed nervously, wondering how much of a reputation Madara had to be wary of. Was possessive behavior an Uchiha thing or was Madara just special? Maybe it was both. She could understand if possessiveness was an inherited trait, but Madara's unique personality made that particular emotion ripe for cultivation. His flair for manipulating was unique and cultured.

Sakura ran a single finger under the strands that caught in front of her ear. She didn't miss how Pein's eyes switched to lock on to the subtle gesture, but she didn't pay it any mind either. 

"Yeah, that remains to be seen. I haven't been well enough to move around until just this morning, but he's said I'm free to leave if I want. I shouldn't have to fight my way out."

"You can if you need to, and you wouldn't have to do something like that alone. I told you my family is in your debt, right?" He hadn't moved his hand and the cigarette dangled from his limp fingers. The smoke flinched and began to curl out in twisting streams that folded over into a dragon that encircled his waist. Sakura watched the smoke dragons and saw that they were actually serpents, chasing their own tails to bite down and create the eternal ring. When she looked back up at Pein's face she almost caught the line that made up his baltic witch bands. The stories said he was more than just a skinwalker. He was blessed and powerful in ways unique only to him. She didn't doubt he was someone not to underestimate.

"You said that, yes," Sakura said with a soft nod. She thought of the pier and the carnival set up along the waterfront. She had been there once with Kagami, but she hadn't been there long and felt the need to visit it again. "Do you know the boardwalk pier by Obito's place? The one with all the lights at night and the huge merry go round?"

He nodded slowly, as if preoccupied with remembering.

"Take me there tomorrow?"

"Madara won't mind?" The bud of something like a smile made his lips quirk.

"When I asked him about leaving, he said he would take me, but it would, 'be in a few days time' when he was free. I don't want to have to wait." When she quoted the older Uchiha she dropped her voice to imitate his husky tenor. It was enough to keep the amusement in Pein's eyes.

"It sounds like you don't care who takes you, and here I was hoping it could be a date." He shook his head teasingly. "Why could possibly make you want to go to that pier of all places?" Sakura shrugged, playing coy. 

"A feeling? Why? A girl can't have a little fun around here? I've nearly died so many times in the past week I think I deserve a break."

"And so you do." Pein took a long drag of what was left of his cigarette and then exhaled a coiling vapor that encircled his shoulders in a halo of dragons before dissipating.

"So you'll take me?" He nodded.

"Tomorrow evening, then. I will be here promptly." Sakura felt her grin stretch across her cheeks.

"Thank you! I won't tell him I'm going with you if that's what you would prefer."

"And why would I prefer that?" The end of his cigarette burned red between his fingers as he lifted his chin in defiance. "He has no right over you. I could even court you if I wanted to. He's not your father."

"That… wouldn't make things weird between you?"

"If it does, that's his problem. I won't cower beneath him." Pein closed his eyes, rolling the short stub of wrapped tabacco over his knuckles before lifting it to his lips for one last pull. When he opened his eyes again they were just as violent as the sea in a storm. She recognized them as the eyes he so proudly brandished in the Kingdom of Man. "You have one more set tonight, don't you?" 

Sakura nodded, her grin growing. "Yeah, and I know what I'm singing, so stick around." She reached forward, across the short distance and pat the side of his face. He flinched a bit, but didn't pull away. He didn't seem used to the contact, but didn't appear to mind it either.

She was gone before she could see Pein's female cousin watching them from the shadows or the silhouette of Itachi leaning against the alcove's molding. She always had eyes on her, so what were two more.

Sakura took up her position off to the side of the stage and waited till the lights went off. Once the set was black, she got into position in front of the microphone and waited for the lights to rise with the band behind her. They were following her lead and the melody was instantly recognizable. Scarcely a note was struck before Pein reacted in the audience, making Sakura grin.

She closed her eyes and remembered the taste of saltwater in her gills. She felt the feeling building and she stepped into the first few notes and sang the first few low notes. 

" _ The truth is… mmmmm… _ " Her eyes snapped open wide. " _ You've got me hypnotized… I'm feeling so obsessed with you. You left me paralyzed… And now I'm stuck… You got me stuck… Oh. _ "

She snapped her neck wildly to the side, caught up in the sound. She opened her eyes once again and looked out at the black shadows that made up her audience. Her smile was mischievous, and only part of her was playing a role for the audience.

" _ And the truth is you've got me hypnotized… _ "

Pein was in a state of bliss, but it was Madara, tucked way in the back, seated in a booth between a wizened Sarutobi and his most loyal Itachi, who watched her with pinwheel eyes that started to spin.

**Author's Note:**

> The first bite of the nightmare to come


End file.
